Last Sunday was the second Sunday of Advent. Advent is one of my favorite times of the church year. A brief introduction for those who don’t know: Advent marks the beginning of the church year and is the four weeks before Christmas. During Advent, Christians remember the coming of Jesus at Christmas, and anticipate his return.
Part of Advent that I enjoy is reflecting on waiting, anticipation and patience. I’ve never been known as a patient kind of guy. When I make up my mind about something, I want to jump in right away. Sometimes life knows better, and we have to wait. Waiting in anticipation can be difficult. Sometimes however, like dark leafy greens, waiting can be good for us.
As I reflect about my own patience (an impatience), I thought about the times when I had to wait. When ordering items online, I must wait for the package to arrive. When I go to the store, especially at this time of year I have to wait in line. When I drive in the city, I often have to wait in traffic. I have to wait for Christmas break to arrive before I can rest from my job. I have to wait a long time for an anticipated trip to Europe in 2019 and even longer for my retirement.
Many of us spend a lot of time waiting. What do we do with that time? Are there any benefits gained from spending time waiting? I think so.
When I used to have a 50 minute commute each way to work I would often get stopped by a train. It was in the middle of a city and the train was not necessarily going through, but switching tracks, so there was a lot of back and forth, with little predictability as to when it would end. If I wasn’t in a hurry and frustrated at the inconvenience, then I’d focus on the e-book or podcast that I was listening to. It was an opportunity to pay closer attention. When this happened when I was in a hurry, ooo boy! Not much good came of that.
For me, the worst wait times are those that take months or years. We moved recently. It took about 6 weeks from the time that we signed papers selling our house and buying another before we could actually move. Obviously, a lot has to happen in that time. That didn’t make the wait any easier. I was excited! We were moving from the country to town and I wanted to get there now.
Next summer we hope to visit family in Europe. We’re working out the timing to ensure that people will be where we want them to be and are willing to host us. Once that’s done and we buy the tickets, I know that it will be hard to wait. I’ll think of the trip often and will be like a kid at Christmas again.
Waiting to move and waiting to go on a trip can be a valuable part of the experience. The anticipation gives us time to use our imagination and create memories even before the event occurs. Waiting gives us time to mentally process and figure things out. In the vacation example, the time gives us opportunity to do research and plan the parts of our trip that we want to plan and explore deeper to places that we may have never heard of. If we made the decision, bought the tickets and left the next day, the trip would be much different.
Waiting for Christmas is the quintessential anticipation event for kids. I think that we have similar experiences as adults too. Like kids at Christmas, waiting can be good for us, if we let it.
Taking the opportunity to dig deeper into our thoughts is good for us. Reflection helps us put our lives, our relationships, our hopes and dreams into perspective. Taking time from distractions helps us re-center and remember what is important.
Advent pushes me to do this. As I anticipate Christmas, the first coming of Christ, my family and I try to take time to relax and be together. We make sure to remove distractions and spend time with each other. It’s a time to reflect and look back on the year. I like to measure my progress for the goals that I set in January and see if there are any last sprints to get me there.
Waiting and anticipating are good. It’s good for us to not have every need and want met immediately. At this time of year, when you find yourself standing in line, sitting in traffic, or lying down for a quick nap, take a minute or two to think about this past year. What were your highs? What were your lows? In what ways were people there for you, and when were you there for others. It is in this kind of quiet reflection that we grow as individuals. When we grow as individuals, we improve the lives of everyone around us.
I’ll wait to say “Merry Christmas” this year. For now, let us anticipate Christmas and remember Advent.