by Terri Fox, Program & Events Specialist

The first week of Advent, Jennifer shared the hope she has for her children and their future. The second week, Andrea encouraged us to have peace in the journey.

During this third week of Advent let us consider joy.

Are joy and happiness synonymous? Can you have joy amid sorrow and suffering? Can you share your joy with someone else?

No, yes, and yes.

In my experience, joy is deep, abiding, solid, settled, trustworthy, and unspeakable but present and at times rising up within me. Happiness is often transitory and dependent upon my circumstances; however, I have witnessed and can testify to having experienced joy alongside both trials and triumphs.

Where does joy come from?

Luke 2:8-11 tells us, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.”

This joy the angel speaks of is a gift for everyone. Jesus, the Messiah, is the great joy for all the people. From His birth to His death on the cross and then His death-defeating resurrection, He restores to us the joy of our salvation and grants us a willing spirit to sustain us. He gives each of us the option to choose and accept the joy of His salvation.

Sharing Joy

Heartbeat’s Option Line consultants and APR hotline nurses are connecting 24/7/365 with women who are often void of joy. They are either in the valley of decision or have already made a devasting life-altering decision. But, Nafisa Kennedy, Director of Option Line says,

“It is our joy to connect with women along every point on the journey! Sometimes, the greatest gift we can share is the beauty of forgiveness with someone who has been hurt by their abortion.”

As you sit knee to knee in the counseling room talking through the LOVE Approach, let each woman see your inner joy illuminating through your eyes.

As you scan a client’s abdomen in the ultrasound room and you hear the thump, thump, thump of a tiny heartbeat, let that woman hear the joy in your voice as you introduce her to her precious baby.

Or, as you console her as she grieves the loss of her little one, be present with her and let the joy of the Lord that strengthens you be an example of what is available to her as well.

The angel was right. The good news he delivered that night is still bringing joy to the world, and the King and Savior is still reigning with truth and grace. When we abide in the Lord, “Gladness and joy will overtake [us], and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” (Isaiah 35:10b)

by Andrea Trudden, Vice President of Communications & Marketing

In this second week of Advent, as we light the Bethlehem Candle, we remember Mary and Joseph's journey. This couple, uncertain yet obedient, traveled with hearts full of trust in God's promise, seeking peace amidst a time of chaos and vulnerability. For those of you working in pregnancy help, this journey mirrors the ones taken by women who come through your doors—mothers with hearts brimming with questions, and in many cases, anxieties about the future.

You are, in many ways, walking alongside them on their own path to Bethlehem.

The Bethlehem Candle reminds us of peace, a peace that comes not from understanding every step but from placing our trust in God’s unwavering love and promises. Just as Mary and Joseph knew only the next step but not the full picture, the women you serve may only see one step ahead. And here you are, offering steadying hands and gentle guidance as they continue forward.

In Isaiah 40:3-5, we read, “Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” In pregnancy centers, you embody this calling, becoming “a voice in the wilderness” for those feeling lost or overwhelmed by unexpected circumstances. Each moment spent with a woman, each whisper of encouragement, each gentle assurance is a way of leveling the rough ground, clearing the valleys of uncertainty, and lighting a pathway for the peace of Christ to enter her life. Your presence and your work make the path smoother, allowing her to see the hope and possibilities ahead.

Pregnancy help organizations are not just places of guidance—they are sanctuaries of peace, places where women can lay down their fears and anxieties. As we reflect on Mary’s journey to Bethlehem, let us remember that she carried within her the Prince of Peace. In your role, you too carry that peace into each conversation, each counseling session, and each prayer. This week, let the Bethlehem Candle remind you that in every interaction, you bring forth a reflection of God’s promise of peace, and like Mary, you become a vessel of hope and comfort.

Peace as a Promise of God’s Presence

Advent is a time of preparation, and peace is a promise that God’s presence is near. This week, may you find renewed strength and joy in knowing that you, like Mary and Joseph, are part of a sacred journey. By helping those who enter your centers, you become a reminder of God’s faithfulness and peace. So let us pray together that every woman and family who walks through your doors might feel the love of Christ, who entered our world as a tiny baby but who came to bring a peace that transcends all understanding.

Let the Bethlehem Candle remind you this week: You are the hands and feet of Jesus, offering peace to those who need it most, reflecting the light of Christ, and preparing the way for His love in the lives of others.

by Jennifer Wright

What is the most full of hope you have ever been?

I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s been parenthood. Nothing has given me a feeling of expectation and desire for good than becoming a mother. From the very first positive pregnancy test—and even before as I hoped and prayed for a child—I found more hope for my life, my child’s life, my child’s future, and the future of our world, than ever before.

That may not be everyone’s experience (for many who enter a pregnancy center, fear overcomes any hope, at least at first), but it does give me a new outlook on the Advent story.

The story of Mary and Joseph preparing for the coming of Jesus and all that came with it was certainly full of fears, but also hope.

While Mary certainly asked how this could happen, she gave her admirable answer: Let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38)—and joyfully went to celebrate with her cousin and prepared for her child’s birth. On the other hand, Joseph’s reaction was something that those of us in pregnancy help might be more familiar with, confusion and uncertainty. Joseph needed an angel of the Lord coming to him in a dream to be convinced that it was right to stand by her (Matthew 1:20).

I wonder what it was like to have hope not only for this one child and this one family but hope for all of mankind because of this one child. And I wonder what it was like to feel that hope while looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem, knowing that the time for their son's birth was coming soon.

Mary and Joseph saw the hope of their child’s arrival on the faces of shepherds and wise men who came to see this precious little child.

For others, it is different. The hope that comes with a child is hard to see when you’re facing addiction, rape, domestic violence, or simply a pregnancy that wasn’t part of the plan. You speak that hope into the lives of parents every day when you offer real solutions to the obstacles that can make a pregnancy feel like a crisis.

Just like the angels who came to Mary and Joseph, you help them see the hope that comes with new life.

My two precious children, Maria (named in part for Mary, Queen of Apostles) and Christopher (literally 'Christ-bearer'), are the hope for me and my family every day. (And yes, I know I have a naming theme.) We waited, prayed, and yes, hoped for them. Now, I have hope for the lives they will live—from school to work to families they will lead. They are sparks of joy for my parents and grandparents. They inspire their aunts and uncles—sometimes even giving them hope for a better future. My kids, now just 3 and 1.5, offer grounds for believing that something good can happen, and that tomorrow will be better than today.

My biggest hope is that they will live up to their names and help bring Christ to the world because it is His coming that offers hope for us all:

Hope that there is something more than this broken world.

Hope that we will experience eternal life.

Hope that love, truth, beauty, and goodness prevail.