Advent 2022 – Day 8

Welcome back to the eighth thought in our Advent series on “God’s Love Story.” Are you wondering what happened when my father went to Cambridge to see the girl he hoped might become his future wife?

Remember that my father’s first mention of meeting my mother was in a letter he sent to his parents on February 2, 1941. Then a few weeks later, he traveled north from New York to Massachusetts to meet her for the second time.

March 2, 1941…[to his brother David, one month after meeting Joan] “Guess what I’ve gone and done – I’m engaged to the most lovely girl in the world – at least I think so and I hope you love her as much as I do…It’s the strangest thing I ever did in my life – because I’ve only seen the girl about 25 hours altogether, but it was long enough for me to know that she was the one I wanted to marry – and we’re just as happy as can be.”

Actually, the couple had already discussed marriage over a week earlier during Dad’s visit north. In less than three weeks, they had met, fallen in love and become engaged! Excitement had turned to love and love turned to commitment.

In Mark 1:16-20, Peter and Andrew, James and John all decided quickly to follow Jesus. So did a tax collector named Matthew. They each made a commitment. They didn’t have a full understanding of where that decision might take them. The newbie disciples had no idea that for most of them their decision might lead to their own deaths as martyrs. When I first came to know Christ, I too was excited about being loved and forgiven, but it took years to understand how I was to love Him and to fully commit every area of my life to Him.

That first step of commitment is important, but it is only a beginning. Why not pray today about what new steps of faith Jesus invites you to take in the year ahead?