The Three W's

Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14
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Welcome to Advent which is my favorite season of the church year.  It’s like a lovely “begin again” button that the Father sends us each year.  It’s a wee bit ironic that we are called to pause, ponder, begin again and patiently wait during this season and it just so happens to land right in what many consider to be the most crazy, busy month of the year.  That isn’t a mistake…it’s an invitation to yield our minutes to him.  The new church year begins with an invitation to wait, surrender and be still which for many of us are habits that could use a little work. 

Advent is our invitation to slow down, be still and prepare for the wonder and awe of Jesus coming to earth.  It’s our invitation to consider the three comings of Christ…his coming as a baby on Christmas, his coming as Judge at the end of time and his coming into our lives each and every day.  Our speedy, noisy human nature often resists this invitation and all too often, we respond to this invitation with one or more of the Three W’s. When we accept God’s invitation to slow down, quiet down, wait and reflect, we can get caught up in WORRY, WHINING or WONDERING.

If we get stuck in worry, that means as we work to still and quiet our minds, we begin to worry that God won’t follow our instructions, that he will miss some important details or he will be so busy with someone else’s stuff he won’t take care of ours.  If we get stuck in whining, we’re focused on all the things that aren’t the way we wanted or planned, and we can get wound up in comparing and complaining.  Our focus shifts from his plan for us to his plan for others and we slip right down that slope of jealousy, impatience and pride.  If we get stuck wondering, we can get all tangled up in doubt, frustration and cynical thinking. 

The three W’s are a lousy addition to our Advent waiting and they don’t do a darn thing to help us prepare for the Savior of the World so in order to wait well during this holy season and truly allow Jesus to change us and draw us closer, we have to be about the business of rooting out these nasty little W’s.  Advent is a great time to ask the Holy Spirit to make us vividly aware of all the times our mind drifts to the W’s and give him permission to bring us back to the peace, hope and joy this season is intended to foster in our soul.

A Seed To Plant: Commit to fifteen minutes of stillness and quiet every day this Advent and be ready to ask the Holy Spirit to chase away those pesky W’s.
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Blessings on your day!