A Shoot From the Stump: Finding Hope and Second Chances This Advent

We all sense it, the landslide to the new year.

Passing comments of “This year’s just flying by!” fill the space in conversations more and more.

It can be easy to get tunnel vision. To strain our eyes in search of the light at the end of the tunnel, longing for that second-chance feeling the New Year brings.

As humans, we yearn for second chances when we have fallen short or made a mistake. It feels almost programmed into us, as if we were made to hope for something better in ourselves and in our world.

Advent and the Longing for Renewal

Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, heightens that longing as we eagerly await the birth of Christ and the start of a new calendar year.

This season invites us to slow down and wait. It teaches us to live in expectation rather than resolution. Advent reminds us that hope does not only belong to what is new or shiny or fixed, but often to what God is quietly doing beneath the surface.

What if we could find that glimmer of hope, those second-chance moments, throughout our daily lives?

A Promise Spoken Into a Stump

Isaiah 11:1 says, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” (ESV)

Have you looked at a stump? There is nothing remarkable about it. It is the mark of a tree that once grew tall but is no more. It is easy to pass it by, unnoticed.

That is how Jesse’s family tree appeared.

Jesse was the father of King David, who was the father of King Solomon. After Solomon, Scripture records a long line of kings, some faithful and some unfaithful, until eventually the kingdom fractures and declines. By the time the Old Testament closes, there are four hundred years of silence between God’s promises and their fulfillment.

Jesse’s line appears cut off. Like a stump.

When God Brings Life From What Looks Finished

Then something remarkable, yet unassuming, happens.

A shoot grows from the stump. A fresh, green sliver of life begins to rise from what looked lifeless. From the line of Jesse, roughly one thousand years later, a new King is born.

Jesus.

The shoot that sprouted from the stump goes on to save the world from sin, offering redemption, restoration, and a second chance at life. What appeared forgotten was not abandoned. What looked finished was not the end of the story.

This is how God often works. Quietly. Faithfully. Bringing life where we assumed there was none left.

Noticing the Small Things This Advent

This Advent season, let us take time to notice the small things. The glimpses of God that appear in ordinary moments. The subtle reminders of His faithfulness woven into daily life.

Just like the shoot growing from the stump, hope may arrive in ways that surprise us.

Prayer

Jesus, open my eyes to see where You are moving in my daily life. Help me notice the small, seemingly insignificant things. Help me to see my world through Your eyes.

Advent Challenge

Write down five ways you noticed glimpses of God this week.

Hope often grows quietly. May we have eyes to see it.

Meet the Author
Kira Echeandia

Kira lives in sunny Florida, where she works as a marketing professional by day and delights in spending her free time with her energetic pup, reading, and enjoying the company of friends and family. She also loves watching (and quoting) early 2000s movies, a favorite pastime that always brings laughter and warm feels. 

Her heart is to point people to the truth that our truest belonging is found in the family of God through Jesus Christ. For Kira, writing is more than a hobby, it is a way to share the hope, joy, and love she has found in Jesus. She is grateful for the opportunity to use her words to encourage others through Daughter of Delight.

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