A Season of Waiting

2 Peter 3:14 "And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight."NLT

Wow!  What a beautiful version of Silent Night by Sugarland at the CMA Country Christmas special on television. I especially love the verse in Spanish.  How cool was that?  Even for those who aren't big fans of country music, you can't go wrong with an entire special based on Christmas carols.  They were beautifully sung by a variety of artists.  If you missed it, just go to Youtube and type in CMA Christmas 2011.  Your heart, and your day, will be fuller because of the beautiful words put to music.

So, I finally am getting to the last of my series on the Advent Celebration.  I know, I know.  I am so far behind the curve.  Let's just say that I am preparing you for next year!  A tiny glimpse of my days will bring you to a greater understanding of why I just can't seem to get this stuff done in a timely manner. No excuse I know, but I am working on the sin of procrastination this year.  Starting right after Christmas.  I promise.

This week saw me attending two recitals for youngest daughter's vocal students, baking 6 dozen cookies for the people at Ace Hardware on Rayford Rd who made our boxes for the troops get out on time, boxing up and mailing the out of town family gifts, going to the grocery store four times (I never said I was good at planning) a doctor visit, hosting three days of out of town family visiting, a church lunch, a dog to the groomer (yes, I spent 30 years grooming dogs so I don't groom my own now...sad isn't it), babysitting 5 days of sweet baby Lyric (need I say more about why I can't get much done), grooming 3 dogs for youngest daughter who can't reach the table with her pregnant self (yes, I know...no grooming...shows what happens with the best laid plans) taking two youngest daughters Christmas shopping for their families, three visits to the dog park so that crazy dog will stop trying to jump on the table in her excitement, attending a rocking good time birthday party for a friend, putting up the Christmas tree, decorating the house, cleaning the cat box 5 times (Yuck, but someone has to do it because the cat's refuse to), mailing out 40 Christmas cards, waiting 2 hours while the man tuned our piano, and a partridge in a pear tree.  See?  Your life isn't so bad now is it.  

So on to the Advent.  Dr. Mark Roberts (click here if you missed the link to his blog) so graciously consented to me sharing his story of how you can bring the spirit of Christmas into your waiting.  Because as we all know, Christmas is nothing if not a season of waiting.  I know that today's blog is a little long but I pray you will take the time to absorb each little morsel of advice.  It has blessed me beyond imagination.  (And don't forget to get the Advent book Dr. Roberts wrote so that you can put it away for next year's planning.  And no, don't ask me where you put it when we get to next year because I will be looking for mine too)  

excerpt from Dr. Mark Roberts blog on Advent, posted April, 2011 (wow, was he prepared in advance. My hero!) "A few years ago I was waiting in a long line at the Costco in Irvine, California. In spite of my best efforts to find the shortest line, of course I ended up in the slowest moving line of all. As I stood there, I could feel my blood pressure rising. The more I waited, the more frustrated I became. Words I never say (well, almost never) filled my mind, and I’m not referring to “Happy Holidays.” “Why do I always get in the slowest *^%#($ line?” I asked myself. “And why is this taking so *#^(amp; long?” I grumbled under my breath.

Then, all of a sudden, it dawned on me. I had one of those moments of grace in which God managed to slip a word into my consciousness. As I stood in that slow-moving line at Costco, I was waiting. Waiting! In a way, I was experiencing exactly what Advent is all about. Of course I wasn’t waiting for God to save me or anything momentous like that. I was simply waiting to get out of that store so I could go home. But, nevertheless, I was waiting. I was forced to experience something that’s at the very heart of Advent.

So I decided, right then and there in the line at Costco, that I was going to use the experience of waiting in line while Christmas shopping as an Advent reminder. In that moment, and in similar moments yet to come, I was going to remember what Advent is all about. I was going to put myself back into the shoes of the Jews who were waiting for the Messiah. And I was going to remember that I too am waiting for Christ to return.

As I decided to let the experience of forced waiting be a moment of Advent reflection rather than a cause for getting an ulcer, I found my anger quickly drain away. Waiting in line at Costco became, not a trial to be endured, but a moment of grace. And get this: I even found myself thanking God for the chance to slow down a bit and wait. This was, indeed, a miracle.



Honestly, I can still forget my commitment to use waiting in line as a time for Advent reflection. My gut instinct can take over. I can easily start clenching my fists as I think of how much time I’m losing. But then a gentle breeze from the Spirit will remind me of how waiting can enrich my life, rather than rob me of joy.

Come to think of it, the grace of waiting in line during Advent might also be relevant to one of my other giant pet peeves: heavy traffic! Traffic is often worse during the season of Advent as people are rushing to the malls to shop for gifts. But I wonder if it’s possible to allow the hassle of traffic to serve as a reminder of Advent waiting.

In the last few years, what I hate most about the days prior to Christmas – waiting in line – has become a quasi-sacrament, a time to experience God’s grace. If you’ve never tried this, it may sound to you as if I’ve lost my mind. This sounds even sillier than wearing purple in the weeks before Christmas rather than red and green. But let me encourage you to try it. By experiencing waiting in line not as a punishment, but as a opportunity to wait peacefully, you’ll find a bit of grace, hidden and ready to be discovered, much like a little picture behind one of those doors of an Advent calendar."