Seasons of Waiting - Advent

It’s Christmas 1988. I’m dressed to the nines in a black lace dress, my hair in a French braid, and heels to complete the outfit.

A wet, sticky snow falls as I drive to the Garden City Hotel on Long Island for a business Christmas party. All the local stations are playing Christmas music.

As I wait at a light that seems to take an eternity to change, Stevie Nicks’s “Silent Night” comes on the radio. Time stops, and I’m engulfed in a deep sense of peace and quietness. I am certain celestial beings are present somewhere in the back seat of my metallic blue Honda Civic.

This story may not sound remarkable as you read it, but I was not in a good place in my life. I was in the throes of an acute eating disorder that was slowly but methodically stealing my life. I was ravaged by anxiety and deep depression.

My body was showing signs of malnutrition and decay. My soul was being crushed from the amount of unnamed pain that was held within it. My spirit seemed so fragile and brittle.

As Stevie Nicks's raspy voice sang the words of “Silent Night,” my body, soul, and spirit were given a lifeline of much needed hope. A sacred and holy invitation to choose life and pursue wholeness. A quiet, strong, and peaceful presence filled my car and provided a balm to my very weary soul. There would be a long and difficult road ahead, but I experienced a lifeline of tangible hope that Christmas night.

I often think of this night during the holiday season, and it reminds me again and again of the hope and life that Christ pursues us with. As the team of Safe Place cares for so many who are in need of hope and life, we pray too that you experience the quiet peace, presence, and hope of the silent and holy night in this season of Advent.

The weary world—and our weary souls---can rejoice and be comforted.

bethann miller

Safe Place Ministry - Owner