December 13th

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13

in these days which supposedly
are short, and it seems a sprint
to get everything done in time,
Jesus reminds us—
endurance is not a mad dash,
bit a slow, steady pace into grace.
so, may we learn to wait
not with clenched stomachs
and aching backs, but with
our hearts cracked like branches
on a winter tree in the yard,
trusting that even in the chill,
love still rises,
as we endure by simply
lighting candles as tiny resistance
to the shadows of cruelty,
working for hope in those places
where hope can find no open doors.
and so we will keep watch—
for every flicker of faith,
every footstep of mercy,
every flutter of goodness
as we wait for the One
who comes not for the winners,
but for the tenacious, the worn-out,
the ones who will not give up
on loving
on believing
on hoping
as we hold our hands out
in the shadows of life
and finding God’s hands
ready to grasp ours.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman