The other day, I made a huge mistake. I mean….almost unforgiveable. This was something that put my mental health at serious risk, and almost forced me to join a support group of some sort.

I ventured to the Fashion Mall in Castleton, thus entering Castleton traffic.

Those of you who live in Indy know exactly what I mean. You can’t get anywhere in less then 30 minutes within Castleton, even if you are just crossing the street. The traffic is lined up on every street, every block. The parking lots are packed, people cut, turn signals are ignored, and it’s every man for himself. It was stressful, frustrating, MADDENING.

As I sat in one line on one road in particular, I took a deep breath, cracked my windows, and put on one of my favorite CD’s. And I started to sing along. And my mind and heart quieted, and I found myself looking at my surroundings, and breathing deep. It was calm, peaceful even.

Doesn’t it sometimes feel we are always waiting for something? Why do we have such a problem with waiting? What’s so BAD about it? I wonder what it is about our human nature that naturally repels waiting. It makes us furious. Waiting for a parking spot, a package, a phone call, a man, a baby, a job, a life we had dreamed of. So much can be done in the waiting, but we miss out on it. Because we cannot get our eyes off what seems lost. What grates are nerves so much when we are forced to wait? I mean, what is keeping us from just being like…ok…I’m waiting…I’ll make the most of it and be happy with my state of affairs?

Typically, for me, it’s because I’m not getting what I want WHEN I WANT IT. *stomp* And if someone else gets it first??? Um, no you didn’t!

I think the season of Advent is an important lesson in waiting. Because during the Advent season, our ‘waiting’ actually expresses itself in rejoicing…preparing, wrapping, gifting, serving. We do not grieve that Christmas isn’t here…we rejoice because it is ON ITS WAY. We don’t mope all year because it’s not Christmas; we don’t stop participating in life, we don’t get mad, we rarely even feel like we are missing out. Because it’s just not here yet. But it will come. In fact, it’s something we look forward to all year. And once we enter the Advent season, we use our ‘waiting’ time getting ourselves READY for a season of celebration.

How much more FULL would our lives be if we did THAT? If we began to prepare and enjoy for those seasons we are so looking forward to instead of grieving they are not here yet? We cannot make time go faster; we cannot breath things into existence that are not. That’s what God is for. And if we are anticipating anything more than the coming of Christ, something that causes us grief in its absence, than our hearts might need some time to re-adjust and they might need some gentleness . I can even say that for myself. God never promised us we’d have everything we wanted in this life, but He DID promise us life to the fullest. And that is what we will have as we wait and anticipate with joy.

“[He is] the God who gives life to the dead
and calls things that are not
as though they were.” romans 4:17

For the revelation awaits an appointed time…
Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay…
Habakkuk 2:3

**I’m sorry I have not been updating this past week and a half of the Advent season!! Because of unforeseen events, I haven’t had time to post…