Pastor Angie's In-Spire-ations December 2016

It’s hard to believe that Advent is just days away as I write this.  I remember how time used to drag when I was a kid. I thought I would never be ten years old, then I thought graduation would never come and somehow suddenly we are grandparents and have great-great nieces and nephews?!  What just happened?  Why was I in such a hurry for things to come?  What did I miss by virtue of my own impatience?

Psalm 27:14 (NLT) says to “Wait patiently for the LORD.  Be brave and courageous.  Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.”  Other translations tell us to “be strong and take heart” while we wait. 

Time is flying by and yet scripture reminds us repeatedly to wait…and not only to wait, but wait patiently.  Notice this little verse alone tells us TWICE to wait!  That’s not an easy request of our feeble human selves, is it?  We have become a society of instant gratification, breaking news, and getting what we want when we want it.  We have forgotten how to take heart when we do NOT get what we want.  We stomp our feet, shake our fists at God and rage at our fellows on this journey we call life.  How quickly we lose heart and talk of nothing but fear.

If you haven’t figured this out about me yet, I’m not comfortable living or thinking in a box.  While most people love Easter and Christmas.  I love Lent and Advent even more.  I run pretty hard believing there is so much to do and wanting so desperately to please God by getting it all done, that I run right past God in the process sometimes. There’s my confession…I’m working on this…really!  It’s not easy for a “do-junkie” like me and I have a feeling this recovery will be a life-long process.

Advent and Lent are about waiting.  We wait for the coming of a Savior and then we wait for the resurrection miracle.  We even wait with anticipation and that’s okay, as long as we are not waiting in fear.  Advent invites us to slow down and wait.  This Advent Season, I hope you will join me in being mindful of each moment.  Every moment we spend rushing to the next is a moment lost that we cannot get back.  Savor Advent.  Savor the moment.

If you want to have a little encouragement along the way, I encourage you to Google the words, “wait for the LORD” or “wait upon God,” etc.  There’s a great book by Sue Monk Kidd (no relation, but one of my favorite authors) entitled “When the Heart Waits.”  I pray for you every morning and thank God for blessing me with an amazing family of faith.  I’ll be waiting with you…as patiently as possible.


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