Advent Always
Sometimes the best life lessons come when we have a glimpse into other’s stories. I’ve noticed that I’m always eager to tell you the funny stories and the happy moments, but I know, for me, I appreciate a deep dive into someone else’s experiences. That’s the moment I find connection and relatability with another. I glean things from their vulnerability, and even recognize God’s slow work in my own life through their story.
So, I thought I would invite you to read a journal entry I wrote recently about some personal thoughts on Advent, though at the time I didn’t really know they were about Advent. This is as vulnerable as it gets for me. My journal is locked down tight most of the time. But I sense there might be some of you who are experiencing something similar, and this will connect with you.
12/13/23: I feel meh. I hate that word actually, but I don’t know how else to describe what I’m experiencing right now. I’m in a season where I sense something new and big is out there for me, but I’m sitting in this waiting room, and there’s comfort here. It’s familiar. And any minute my name could be called to step through the door to this new thing. The problem is, I don’t know if I even want to. I’m tempted to just cross my name off the waiting list, and sit back down in my familiar chair in the quiet waiting room. Even if my biggest desires were on the other side of the door, I don’t know if I would want to walk through it right now.
For the love, what is wrong with me?
I’ve had so many hard things to navigate, so many losses, so much chaos all the flippin time, that Im afraid to take the next step into the new season. This current season is a little slow right now. It’s, dare I say, easy peaceful, and there's freedom here. (I promise I'm not intentionally trying to sound like an Eagle's song.) I know what to expect most days when I wake up. So why would I want to let that go for the new thing? At least things are more predictable right now. A new thing would be just that--new and not predictable. A new thing could lead to hurt and disappointment and eventually loss.
After reading back this journal entry to myself, I'm reminded of Advent. The word Advent in its simplest definition means: a coming into place, view, or being. Arrival: the advent of the Christmas season; Jesus.
Ann Voskamp writes in The Greatest Gift, “So now we pause. Still. Ponder. Hush. Wait. Each day of Advent, He gives you the gift of time, so you have time to be still and wait.”
We most often think of Advent as a season that rolls around once a calendar year at Christmastime, but what if we expanded our minds a little? What if we thought about Jesus always coming to us? Maybe Advent is about with-ness (with Jesus). Maybe Advent isn’t just one season, but always. And just maybe the waiting room is right where He’s sitting with us?
I’m then drawn back to the question in my journal, what is wrong with me? You know what, I don’t think anything is wrong with me for having this deep longing in my soul to pause, be still, and rest in the comfy, familiar chair of the proverbial 'waiting room'. Life’s conflicting messages tell me to always seek the next thing. I’ll miss it if I’m not careful. The words of God tell me everything, and nothing, only happens when the God of the Universe says so.
"The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord."-Henri Nouwen
What a beautiful invitation the Lord invites us into. Here’s to practicing Advent all the time.
Merry Christmas, Dear Friends! Jesus is coming to you.
Wait.
Expect.
And sit with Him.
Citations:
Ann Voskamp. The greatest gift: unwrapping the full love story of Christmas. Tyndall House Publishers. 2014
Henri Nouwen. (n.d.). AZQuotes.com. Retrieved December 21, 2023, from AZQuotes.com Web site: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/895041
