Trust in God's Timing: Connecting Shakespeare and Advent

Presented by Upper School, Grades 7-12

On December 5th, 1623 the first copies of Shakespeare’s First Folio, the collected works that preserved the plays we still treasure today were available for purchase. Without the First Folio, many of Shakespeare’s masterpieces would have been lost forever. Friends and fellow actors gathered his words, protected them, and released them into the world so future generations could hear truth, beauty, conflict, redemption, and grace through story.

There is something spiritually resonant in that act of preservation. It reminds us that God, too, has safeguarded His words for us—words meant to guide, comfort, challenge, and transform. Just as the First Folio gathered scattered plays into one coherent whole, the Scriptures gather centuries of God’s revelation into a living testimony of His love.

In Love’s Labour’s Lost, Shakespeare wrote:

“At Christmas I no more desire a rose / Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled shows.” In this simple line, there is a profound truth: the right things in the right season bring joy. A rose does not belong to winter; snow does not belong to spring, (unless you live in Utah). There is a rhythm designed into creation itself.

Similarly, in Galatians 4:4, Paul tells us that Christ came “in the fullness of time.” Not early,

not late, but in the season God appointed.

At Advent and Christmas we remember that Christ came at the perfect time, into the world’s winter, bringing the warmth of redemption. Shakespeare’s line reminds us that when we try to force life into our own timing, we lose the beauty God intends. But when we receive God’s gifts in the season He chooses, we experience the harmony He built into our lives.

As we reflect on Shakespeare’s preserved words and on God’s perfectly timed Word made flesh, may we learn to trust God’s timing and treasure His message. Let us approach this season not with hurried expectations but with open hearts, ready to receive the grace that arrives precisely when it is meant to.

by Mrs. Cortney Carman

Director of Curriculum

Following this historical thought, senior Kate Boynton performed Popper Etude No. 22 on cello.

---

This historical thought was delivered by our Upper School students at devotional on 12/04/2025. Each week one class leads the student body in prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, scripture recitation, a meditation, and an historical thought. Belmont family and friends are welcome, Thursdays 8:30-9:05 am.

Belmont is an independent K-12 school in the classical, Christian tradition. In partnership with parents, we invest in students — helping them acquire an education of the highest quality, find joy in life, and become influences for good in the world. If you are interested in receiving updates about Belmont, please subscribe to Exulto here by inserting your email.

---