How to Fill Your Advent With Lots of God-Sightings

It’s a time to pause, look back over the moments of our lives, and notice how God’s hand has guided, protected, and sustained us—even when we were unaware of the Creator’s presence.

A Quiet Miracle Before Birth

As I reflect on Advent, I’m reminded of a moment before I took my first breath. While I was still in my mother’s womb, she had a violent allergic reaction to penicillin. Her body went into crisis, and mine along with it. The doctors fought to save her life and, in doing so, they saved mine. The situation was dire. The outcome was uncertain. Yet both of us survived.

Looking back, I see God’s hand at work in that chaotic moment. God as Protector was present in the waiting, in the trauma, and in the eventual coming of safety and healing. 

 My mother and those around her may not have been fully aware of the Divine Presence, but through the hands of the doctors, God’s love was steady, holding my mother and me through the storm.

God in the Waiting

Advent invites us to see that waiting is not an empty pause, but a sacred space where we can recognize how God works in ways we often can’t see.

In those critical moments before I was born, when my mother’s life—and mine—hung in the balance, God wasn’t distant. He was present in the chaos moving through the doctors’ skilled hands, guiding their decisions, and through my mother’s quiet strength, enabling her to endure the crisis.

The trauma didn’t have the final word. It was transformed into a story of grace and resilience, a reminder that in the most uncertain and painful moments, God is there—steady, protecting, and loving us through every challenge.

Even in the waiting, the Creator is at work, shaping our lives and guiding us toward healing.

God in the Arriving

 Advent invites us to reflect on the fact that our lives are sacred stories, each shaped by God’s presence and guidance.

When we look through the eyes of faith, we recognize how in every moment—whether joyful or painful—we have been held in God’s care and protection.

When has God already arrived, and been present in your life, even in times of uncertainty or pain?

When has the Creator guided and protected you, even when you couldn’t see his hand at the time?

Perhaps it was through the unexpected support of a friend who showed up just when you needed encouragement or the way a kind word or gesture from a stranger helped you regain hope during a tough time.

Maybe God arrived in a quiet, unexpected moment—when you found the strength to carry on through a challenge or when you noticed a sense of peace despite a difficult situation.

Perhaps it was through the wisdom of a mentor who helped you see a way forward or the reminder of God’s presence through a meaningful passage in scripture during a season of doubt.

These moments, like my mother’s and mine, are reminders of God’s arriving presence, guiding us toward safety, healing, and new life.

God in the Coming

Advent also invites us to consider where God is coming in our lives, calling us to deeper transformation.

Where is the Holy Spirit leading you toward greater wholeness, peace, and trust in God’s unconditional love for you?

Where is God inviting you to notice his presence more fully?

Wholeness doesn’t mean life is free of pain; rather, it means finding God’s grace in life’s challenges and letting that grace transform us. 

How is God’s grace showing up in your life, even in the most difficult moments? 

What areas of your life is the Spirit gently nudging you to accept or surrender so you can be healed on the inside—in your heart?

Advent:
A Time to See God in the Waiting, in the Arriving, and in the Coming

 As you journey through this Advent season, take a moment to pause and reflect on these questions:

Waiting

Where is God inviting you to grow in a particular virtue during your waiting?

Is he calling you to cultivate patience, trust, hope, or some other virtue as you navigate life’s uncertainties?

Arriving

Look back and see how God has already arrived in your life.

In what ways has the Divine Presence guided, protected, and sustained you, even in the ordinary events of your life that became extraordinary because of the presence of love?

Coming

Where is God coming closer to you, gently inviting you to deepen your relationship with the Creator?

Perhaps God is calling you to embrace a practice of daily meditation, dedicate time for spiritual reading, or reach out to serve someone in need?

Looking for
God-Sightings

Advent is a season full of invitations—to grow, to see, and to draw nearer to the God who is always with us.

It’s a season to look for and experience lots of “God-sightings”—moments when we become more aware of God’s presence in our lives, whether in the beauty of creation, in the kindness of others, or in the stillness of our hearts.

May this season open your heart to notice the love of a God who is so deeply in love with you, he sent his Son to walk the earth alongside you—your constant companion on this sacred journey called your amazing life.

May the light of Advent fill you with hope, joy, and the unshakable assurance that you are held in love, now and always.

—brian j plachta
brianplachta.com

A Guided Reflection For You

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