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Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

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Under His wings: Love has come!

*The following is the final installment of the Under His Wings Advent experience. Every year I put together an audio + written devotional for the four Sundays of Advent. The theme for this week is “Celebrating.” Listen to the audio version here. Print out the transcript here.

 

 

The other day I went for a walk with a new widow friend of mine. Her husband soared to Heaven just two short months ago. As we were crunching through the leaves on our local trail, she told me she and her son were struggling with the approach of Christmas. She couldn’t imagine celebrating without her beloved and wasn’t even sure if she should.


I found myself hearkening back to six years ago – our first Christmas without my husband Ericlee. Everything felt heavy and hard like trudging through molasses or when the sun is so bright you are forced to shield your eyes. My family felt off-kilter. How could we go on without him? Did I have energy to continue the traditions? Could we experience joy in the midst of so much grief?


I heard my friend asking these very same questions as we walked. I listened and nodded, feeling her emotion deep in my own chest. Remembering.


Maybe 2020 has felt like this for you. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one or your business is flailing. Maybe you feel isolated or scattered from your people. Maybe you are feeling extra fragile as we head into this Christmas week. If you are standing in the liminal space –
the in-between – you are not alone.


The question is: How do we celebrate in the midst of a season that is challenging?


One thing I’ve learned on my grief journey is that joy and grief are often awkwardly bumping up against each other. We try to keep them six feet apart, but somehow, they tend to drift back together like kids at recess during a pandemic.


1 Peter 1:6-7 reminds us that learning to rejoice through our trials refines and bolsters our faith: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”


People keep talking about 2020 as a “dumpster fire.” What if that fire was designed to shape and refine us so we could shine like gold to others?


We could take some cues from the Jews who have made celebrations and feasts a regular part of their weekly and yearly rhythm. From the Passover to Purim, from the weekly Shabbat to Sukkot, from Yom Kippur to Hanukkah, they give thanks to God in all seasons and celebrate through the hardship. Remembrance and feasting are part of their identity as children of God – whether their pantries are empty or full.


Somehow, we have wandered away from this in our Western Christian traditions. We try to create celebrations that are focused on gift-giving and food. We let commercialism dictate the atmosphere we set in our homes instead of leaning into the Christmas story and all it represents.


Friend, it’s ok if this year has less pomp and circumstance. After all, that’s how Jesus came to earth. The Jews expected a king or a warrior, but Immanuel came as a newborn baby. Jesus wasn’t born in a palace with a grand party and a marquee to celebrate His entrance into the world. Light dawned that morning on a rustic manger and a newborn baby wrapped in swaddling cloths. Tender skin wrapped God in the vulnerability of a human body. He was like us. And He was with us.


Last night I crawled into bed bone tired and weary after a day studying for a final exam, taxi driving kids, and assembling teacher gifts. I closed my eyes and heard this little whisper: “Come.” And there He was, extending His arms to me in the darkness. A baby. Vulnerable and needy, yet welcoming me with kind eyes.


That picture was a sweet reminder that I’m invited to come to the manger with all my raw edges and messy emotions. When I bring it all to the feeding trough where our Savior was born, I am nourished in new ways. The distractions and disappointments slip quietly away.


When we choose hope in the midst of the darkness, when we seek peace in the midst of uncertainty, when we embrace joy in the midst of pain, then we experience God’s profound love.

When we choose hope in the midst of the darkness, when we seek peace in the midst of uncertainty, when we embrace joy in the midst of pain, then we experience God’s profound love.

-Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

His love is marked by tension and sacrifice. He sent His one and only child to be born so that He might die. And in the resurrection of that child, we all get to open the gift of grace. We all can discover new life and strength under His wings. This is the Gospel. This is the Christmas story. This is something worth celebrating year after year.


*Subscribe here for my weekly Glorygram with recommendations for books, podcasts, recipes, and access to my freebie library.

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December 25, 2020 Categories: General, Navigating Grief

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Meet Dorina

Aloha, friend! If you love stories, you are in the right place. I write about grief, glory, running, food, and more. I hope these words inspire you to chase after God’s glory in your life today!

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Woke up at the crack of dawn to go on a photography adventure with my middle girl. The Clovis Fest Hot Air Balloon Show did not disappoint! 🎈Hope floats.

🫶🏾Hop over to @thefeatheronline to see Giada’s first photo post for the student newspaper!

@old_town_clovis #clovis #hotairballoonfestival @clovischamber

View

Sep 24

Open
Woke up at the crack of dawn to go on a photography adventure with my middle girl. The Clovis Fest Hot Air Balloon Show did not disappoint! 🎈Hope floats.
🫶🏾Hop over to @thefeatheronline to see Giada’s first photo post for the student newspaper!
@old_town_clovis #clovis #hotairballoonfestival @clovischamber
77 4

📣Today we celebrated the launch of our new web site with the @thefeatheronline newspaper staff! I’m so proud of these students! What a joy to step into a new role this year as a writing coach and to partner with @korijamesphoto to equip these young journalists!

My @meilanigilmore is the new Arts & Entertainment Editor and Giada joined the photojournalist staff! Also, good celebration always involves good eats! Hop over to www.TheFeather.com or download our app through Student News Source and check out their work! 🎉 #studentjournalism @fresnochristianschools

View

Sep 23

Open
📣Today we celebrated the launch of our new web site with the @thefeatheronline newspaper staff! I’m so proud of these students! What a joy to step into a new role this year as a writing coach and to partner with @korijamesphoto to equip these young journalists! 
My @meilanigilmore is the new Arts & Entertainment Editor and Giada joined the photojournalist staff! Also, good celebration always involves good eats! Hop over to www.TheFeather.com or download our app through Student News Source and check out their work! 🎉 #studentjournalism @fresnochristianschools
29 0

Join me as I walk through Psalm 140 today! This psalm comes from the pen of David, who is crying out for deliverance. He appeals to God who is full of mercy and justice.❤️‍🩹

🫶🏾Friend, do you need someone to guard you today? Are you feeling hunted, tempted, discouraged? Drop an emoji below so I can pray for you. And go read Psalm 140!

📝Hop over to DorinaGilmore.com to sign up for my Glorygram and enter for a copy of Pilgrim by Ruth Chou Simons.

#devotional #prayer #biblestudy #psalm #david #deliverer

View

Sep 22

Open
Join me as I walk through Psalm 140 today! This psalm comes from the pen of David, who is crying out for deliverance. He appeals to God who is full of mercy and justice.❤️‍🩹
🫶🏾Friend, do you need someone to guard you today? Are you feeling hunted, tempted, discouraged? Drop an emoji below so I can pray for you. And go read Psalm 140! 
📝Hop over to DorinaGilmore.com to sign up for my Glorygram and enter for a copy of Pilgrim by Ruth Chou Simons. 
#devotional #prayer #biblestudy #psalm #david #deliverer
23 3

My heart is full after a week of teaching, preaching, and listening to the stories of the beautiful women of my church. We are going through a study called Foundations written by our pastor @bell_brad

I got to teach on this week’s theme, “Sharing Your Story,” and illuminated the powerful testimonies of three women in the Bible who met Jesus, were transformed by His love, and then were sent out to share their stories.

In our small group time, women were invited to share their 3-minute stories around the tables. There were lots of tears, but also laughter and breakthroughs.

✍🏾Did you know God designed our bodies so that physiological healing happens in sharing our stories? Trauma can get dislodged from places it might be stuck in our brains and new pathways are formed.

🎤 You can listen to my message here: https://thewellcommunity.org/podcasts/womens-bible-study/foundations-week

#sharingstories #womensupportingwomen #ladypreacher #biblestudy #womensbiblestudy #samaritanwoman #bleedingwoman #marymagdalene #sisterhood #brainscience @wellchurch @melissadanisi

View

Sep 22

Open
My heart is full after a week of teaching, preaching, and listening to the stories of the beautiful women of my church. We are going through a study called Foundations written by our pastor @bell_brad 
I got to teach on this week’s theme, “Sharing Your Story,” and illuminated the powerful testimonies of three women in the Bible who met Jesus, were transformed by His love, and then were sent out to share their stories. 
In our small group time, women were invited to share their 3-minute stories around the tables. There were lots of tears, but also laughter and breakthroughs.
✍🏾Did you know God designed our bodies so that physiological healing happens in sharing our stories? Trauma can get dislodged from places it might be stuck in our brains and new pathways are formed. 
🎤 You can listen to my message here: https://thewellcommunity.org/podcasts/womens-bible-study/foundations-week
#sharingstories #womensupportingwomen #ladypreacher #biblestudy #womensbiblestudy #samaritanwoman #bleedingwoman #marymagdalene #sisterhood #brainscience @wellchurch @melissadanisi
86 4

I’ve created this compassionate resource for your personal journey with grief. This book was 8 years in the making and offers a comforting, giftable resource for those who are processing their own loss, whether of a loved one, a season of life, or a dream. Breathing Through Grief includes 25 short devotionals that each focus on a different aspect of grief from my personal experience.

The journal also includes special resources such as:
•
breathing exercises
•
reflection questions
•
soul care tips
•
ample writing space
•
advice on how to talk to children about death
•
suggestions on how to approach triggers
•
creative ways to honor a loved one’s memory

If you or someone close to you is walking through loss⁠, let the comforting words in Breathing Through Grief encourage you with the knowledge that you are not alone and bring you a semblance of peace as you continue forward on the road to healing.

The book releases Nov. 14. You can pre-order today. For more information, visit www.waterbrookmultnomah.com.

View

Sep 21

Open
I’ve created this compassionate resource for your personal journey with grief. This book was 8 years in the making and offers a comforting, giftable resource for those who are processing their own loss, whether of a loved one, a season of life, or a dream. Breathing Through Grief includes 25 short devotionals that each focus on a different aspect of grief from my personal experience.
The journal also includes special resources such as:
•
breathing exercises
•
reflection questions
•
soul care tips
•
ample writing space
•
advice on how to talk to children about death
•
suggestions on how to approach triggers
•
creative ways to honor a loved one’s memory
If you or someone close to you is walking through loss⁠, let the comforting words in Breathing Through Grief encourage you with the knowledge that you are not alone and bring you a semblance of peace as you continue forward on the road to healing.
The book releases Nov. 14. You can pre-order today. For more information, visit www.waterbrookmultnomah.com.
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