Advent is a season of waiting—waiting for Christ to come, waiting for light to break into darkness, waiting for healing and restoration. For many who live with a mental health challenge, or who love someone who does, waiting is not an abstract spiritual idea. It is daily life. We wait for symptoms to ease, for clarity to return, for a “better day,” for the next right step to become clear. Advent does not ask us to pretend the waiting is easy. Instead, it hands us four virtues—Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love—and invites us to hold onto them as companions along the journey.

Hope: The Courage to Believe That Change Is Possible

The first week of Advent centers on Hope, the virtue that helps us lift our eyes when circumstances feel heavy or unchanging. Hope can feel risky when living with a mental health challenge. After all, many have experienced cycles—seasons of progress that seem to slip away, waves of symptoms that recur without warning. It can feel safer not to hope at all.

But Christian hope is not about predicting outcomes or pretending everything will turn out the way we want. Christian hope is rooted in God’s character—the One who sees us, holds us, and walks with us in every season. Hope says, “God is here now, and God will still be here tomorrow.”

For those on the recovery journey, hope offers courage to try again. To make the appointment. To reach out to a friend. To practice the skills that make a difference. For loved ones, hope keeps the heart from giving in to discouragement or compassion fatigue. It reminds us that growth is possible and that setbacks are not the end of the story.

Advent Hope whispers, “The darkness is not final. God is still at work.”

Peace: A Still Point in the Middle of the Storm

The second week of Advent brings us to Peace, which, for many, feels like the most elusive virtue of all. When anxiety spikes, when depression clouds the mind, when trauma memories surface without warning—peace can feel impossibly far away.

But biblical peace—shalom—is not merely the absence of stress. It is a deep, steadying presence. A grounding reality. A wholeness that exists even when life feels fractured.

For those living with a mental health challenge, peace may come in moments: a slowed breath, a mindful pause, a comforting Scripture, a reminder that “God is with me right now.” Peace grows as we learn what helps our nervous system settle and what helps us feel safe. It is not all-or-nothing. It is often found in small practices that anchor us in God’s nearness.

For loved ones, peace means learning to trust God with what we cannot control. It means releasing the pressure to fix, rescue, or manage another person’s recovery. Peace is the gentle invitation to rest—spiritually, emotionally, even physically.

Advent Peace says, “Christ is the Prince of Peace, and He meets us in every storm.”

Joy: A Deep Gladness That Coexists With Struggle

The third week of Advent is marked by Joy—symbolized by the pink candle of Gaudete Sunday—a joyful interruption in a season of waiting. But joy can feel complicated for those navigating mental health struggles. Some feel guilty for not feeling joyful. Others worry that if they experience moments of joy, people will assume they are “fine now.”

But biblical joy is not forced cheerfulness. It is not the denial of sorrow. Joy is a deep, quiet gladness rooted in God’s faithfulness—a gladness that can coexist with struggle. Joy can show up in small pockets: a warm conversation, a moment of laughter, a sunrise that reminds us of grace.

For those in recovery, joy can feel like a fragile guest. But Advent reminds us that joy is not something we manufacture—it is something God grows within us. Joy shows up when we stop demanding perfection and start receiving life as it is, trusting that God is at work in ways we cannot always see.

For loved ones, joy is the reminder that our relationship with the person we love is bigger than their diagnosis. We can still delight in who they are, cherish what is good, and celebrate the moments of connection and progress.

Advent Joy whispers, “Even here, God is doing something beautiful.”

Love: The Virtue That Holds All Others Together

The final week of Advent draws us into Love—the love of God made visible in Christ’s coming. Love is the foundation of recovery, the glue that holds hope, peace, and joy together.

For those living with mental health challenges, love means remembering you are not your illness, not your symptoms, and not the worst thing you’ve experienced. You are beloved by God—fully, dearly, irrevocably. Love gives us permission to show ourselves compassion, to ask for help, to rest without guilt.

For loved ones, love is the steady, patient presence that says, “I’m here.” It’s learning to walk alongside without judgment. It’s choosing connection over criticism, empathy over assumptions. Love does not fix everything—but it never gives up.

Advent Love proclaims, “God draws near. Not to the polished, but to the weary.”

As Advent unfolds, these four virtues do not demand perfection from us. They invite us—gently—to breathe, to rest, and to look again for God’s presence in the very places where we feel most vulnerable.

May this season be a reminder that Christ steps into real lives, real pain, and real stories—not to shame us for our weakness, but to shine His light there. And light, even the smallest spark, always changes the room.

Peggy has been involved with Fresh Hope as a Group Facilitator for over 8 years and as the Hope Coach Trainer for over 6 years. She can be reached at peggy@freshhope.us.