Advent Love: The Gift That Stays
- Marla Waldron
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
When I think about love, especially during Advent, my first instinct is to picture the familiar scenes — a glowing tree, kids running through the house, a moment when everyone is finally laughing at the same time. But if I’m honest, those moments can be fleeting. Some years they’re abundant; other years they’re barely there.
And that’s when Advent pulls me back. Advent love isn’t sentimental or seasonal. It is steady, sacrificial, and rooted in a God who chose to step into the ache of the world — and into the ache of our hearts.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son…” — 1 John 4:10
Long before shepherds heard angels sing, before Mary wrapped a newborn in swaddling cloths, Love made a decision. Love chose proximity. Love came close.
When love doesn’t feel easy
Some Christmas seasons are marked by loss or disappointment — a relationship that didn’t heal, a child who drifts, a diagnosis that startles. The world keeps shouting that love is measured by perfect holidays and perfect people.
But Advent tells a different story.
Advent whispers:
Love enters the imperfect.
Love moves toward the hurting.
Love sits with the lonely.
Love does not withdraw in uncertainty.
This is the love we receive — and the love we get to give.
Love that transforms how we see others
Because Love came near, we don’t love only the easy people. We love the difficult ones. The tired ones. The ones who don’t say “thank you.” The ones who can’t show up the way we hoped.
Why? Not because we are naturally patient — but because Jesus first loved us when we had nothing to offer back.
“For God so loved the world that He gave…” — John 3:16
Giving is the natural outflow of God’s love. Not buying bigger gifts, not posting a curated Christmas photo — but releasing what God has poured in: grace, kindness, forgiveness, presence.
Love that rests instead of performs
One thing Advent has been teaching me this year is that love isn’t hurried. Jesus did not rush His arrival. God waited until the fullness of time.
So maybe the love we practice looks like slowing down long enough to listen, to pray, to notice. Maybe love looks like taking a breath before reacting. Maybe love looks like releasing a burden instead of managing one more expectation.
Sometimes the most loving thing we do is let God love us first — really love us — without striving to earn what has already been given.
Love that holds steady into a new year
When the decorations come down and the calendar flips, Advent love remains.
It remains when conversations are awkward.
It remains when faith feels small.
It remains when people don’t follow our scripts.
Because Love is not a feeling — Love is a Person.
A Savior who came near.
A King who stays.
A God who will come again.
Advent Love
FOR FURTHER THOUGHT
Where is God inviting you to receive His love instead of performing for it?
Who might need patient, steady love from you this week?
What expectation do you need to release so you can rest in God’s presence?
PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for loving us first. Help us receive Your love in the places that feel empty, and teach us to offer that same love to the people You’ve placed around us. Slow our hearts and steady our footsteps so we can love like You love. Amen.
ABOUT MARLA WALDRON
Marla Waldron is a devoted daughter of the Heavenly Father, and she embraces her roles as a sister, wife, mother, teacher, and friend with grace and dedication. For 35 years, she has served as a public school educator, mentoring countless beginning teachers and currently working as an Intervention Specialist with Kindergarten students. In her local church and community, Marla faithfully contributes by volunteering at food and clothing banks, participating in fundraising events, and actively engaging in, as well as leading, small group Bible studies for The Dented Fender Ministry. A mother of three grown children, Marla has also taken on the responsibility of caring for her 50-year-old brother with multiple handicaps since their father's passing. Despite facing dark tunnels of grief and self-doubt, Marla has learned to lean on God’s grace, holding tightly to His truths and trusting in His guidance one step at a time. She and her husband live in Ohio, embracing the unpredictable ride of life with faith and resilience.
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