I am probably one of the worst ‘waiters’ on the planet. I don’t mean a ‘serve the food’ worker, I mean a ‘sit there until it happens’ kind of person. So it’s interesting that I love Advent so much. After all, Advent = waiting.
After thinking about it for a while, I realize that I can be such a good ‘Advent-waiter’ because there’s no drama. I know what I’m waiting for…the coming of Christ. And as I wait in joyful anticipation, I have a choice. There are two ways I can wait; an active way, or a passive way. In other words, I can sit and think about the birth of Christ, or I can get busy imitating him. Honestly, I think a little of both is the best way of all.
Thinking about the birth of Jesus is another way of saying that I’m meditating on the life of Christ. To truly know the Lord, I have to become familiar with his story. That includes the decision to be born into this world as an infant in the town of Bethlehem.
One of the most dramatic events of Christmas is the scene of the angels announcing the birth to the shepherds. I wonder what thoughts would’ve run through my head if I were a shepherd that night on a lonely, dark hillside. Suddenly, the sky is filled with heavenly angels, singing and praising God. What a sight that must have been!
But in addition to meditating, I want to call myself to action. One of the best ways to bring the life of Jesus to the world is to love it. And not only to love the world God made, but to love the people he created to live in it.
I read an Advent reflection exercise that asked me to make a list of some of the people, places and experiences that I love. After making the list, I was asked to decide which things I loved the most, and why. It was very enlightening.
I saw that I loved the people I listed in part because they loved me too. I loved the experiences on the list because they were fun. Hmmm. I think I found my new Advent goal.
I want to add to my list the people I should love, but find ways not to. The people who demand my time and attention even though I may not appreciate their attitudes. The co-worker who keeps asking the same questions. The family member who always finds fault. I want to adjust my attitude on the things I have to do every day that seem silly or a bother. Like making my bed. Or being patient with that irritating sales call.
This Advent, as I meditate on Jesus’ life and imitate his love, I pray for the grace to meet him as a new creation when Christmas day dawns. I want to come before him shining just a little brighter, as I join with the angels in singing: Emmanuel is with us!
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Thanks for deepening my advent experience this year, Ceil. I love that you talk about grace {and live it, too} because He’s lavished so much of it on us.
To give up your own beloved Son … talk about a priceless, unfathomable grace. How grateful I am that He continues to pour out His favor on us, so undeserving …
Hi Linda! You are right that we don’t deserve it. Thanks be to him who aches to give it! I’m glad you’ve liked the reflections on Advent. It truly is a graced time of year for me.
Have a peaceful night my friend,
Ceil
Ceil, I loved this! Very well said,I believe I should just say “ditto.”
to be like Jesus, that is the desire of my heart, but it takes work.
May God be glorified in my life.
Joy to you, Debbie
Hi Debbie! Thank you for your kind comments. It sure does take work, and I’ll never get there while I live on earth. But that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying!
I would like to join you in your prayer. May he be glorified in my life as well.
Hugs!
Ceil
Those last two paragraphs really hit me hard, dear Ceil. God’s grace….that is something I need every moment of the day and I am so thankful that He provides it for us. Once again, you have written a much-needed post. Thank you, sweet friend.
Love and hugs!
Hi Stephanie! Where would I be without his powerful gift of grace? I don’t even want to know.
May he pour his great love in grace on us, and transform us to be more like him!
Have a peaceful night 🙂
Ceil
Yes, it seems this time of year, we are all pushed to our limits at one time or another! But God’s grace has no limits thankfully. Thank you for an inspiring post Ceil. 🙂
Hi Verona! And thank you for your kind words Verona. His grace is renewed and flowing…Phew! Good thing for me, I’ll tell you that.
Have a wonderful day 🙂
Ceil
Waiting is not a strong suit of mine, but one God has had to “hone in on” to get my attention. Waiting reminds me of the thousands of years they waited for Messiah to show up and when He did they rejected Him. Now I/we wait for Him to come. I won’t reject Him but I do need to anticipate His coming.
Hi Bill! Well, join the ‘bad waiters’ club then! You make such a good point about the wonderful patience of our fathers in the bible.
I know what I’m waiting for, which really helps. But like you, I have to prepare!
Happy Thursday my friend,
Ceil
My heart is being tendorized this Advent. Every wonderful song I hear about the birth of our Savior brings me to tears! 🙂
Hi Monica! What a great image you provide for me. I love that! Allowing God’s grace to make your heart a more tender place for him to be born in on Christmas day.
I hope that God is doing that for me too. I want to be more ready for him to flower in me this holiday season.
Have a wonderful Thursday my friend,
Ceil
RIGHT ON, FRIEND–I think we are especially called to love the unlovable! It is a walk in the park to love those who love us well–more like a death march to love those unlovelies in our life! GREAT POST!!
Hi Lulu! Thank you for your supportive comments my friend!
It is much harder to love people who just drive my crazy sometimes. It helps to realize that I drive people crazy too. But Jesus didn’t say that I get to pick who to love. I have to reach out to everyone 🙂 (those ‘unlovelies’ as you said!)
Blessings on our road to love!
Ceil
“But in addition to meditating, I want to call myself to action. One of the best ways to bring the life of Jesus to the world is to love it.”
That’s powerful, Ceil. Thinking about what Christ brought into the world – brought into our lives – should lead us to this point. For some reason, what sticks out in my mind as I read your post is something I heard earlier about the gospel being the good news. We don’t normally treat it like NEWS. But part of what the angels announced was something great that was happening – great news for everyone. Our action is a response to that great news!
Hi Loren! Thank you for your kind words about the post. I appreciate your encouraging words.
You make a good point about Good News. As I grow in faith, I hear the Good News again, or in a new way. It really is revolutionary, both in love and in works.
I hope I would respond to the angels with action. I wonder if I’d be scared to death tho!
Have a peaceful evening,
Ceil
What a wonderful idea. To prepare my heart to be more like His as I wait. That is more than just knowing Him better; it’s applying what I learn. I also love your reference to the angel choir. That is a thought that takes my breath away. 🙂
Hi Deb! Wouldn’t it be amazing to join with the angels in their songs of joy? And I’d be able to really belt it out then too!
Thank you for your kind comments about the post today. It is really good to know the Lord, but he wants us to get to work too!
Have a peaceful evening!
Ceil
Oh Ceil … this is a wonderful post; but it triggered so many thoughts in my mind that I wondered whether to write them all … or none.
Waiting is sometimes good, because it teaches us patience. I am short on patience and often pray: Lord give me patience, and hurry up about it. So far He has not responded.
Talking about you being there when the angel appeared to the shepherds … I’ll tell you something. If I were there on a dark hill at night and an angel appeared from nowhere I’d be so frightened that I’d be running for the nearest toilet! I wouldn’t sit there listening to the angels singing their rendition of the Gloria!
And the most wonderful thing about your post, Ceil; is that you end by suggesting we make an effort to love those people who somehow act like an irritant in our lives. Believe me, I try. There are some individuals I know, however, who make liking/loving them to be quite an effort on my part.
God bless you for a brilliant post.
Hi Victor! Your prayer to the Lord reminds me of a joke I saw about microwaves. There was a man who put his lunch in the oven to heat up, and immediately started yelling “Hurry up!!” Patience is a work in progress, believe me.
I really do think I’d be so scared by the angels. The Lord must have known it would really rattle the simple shepherds, so somehow he addressed that issue. What a sight though!
We are all trying Victor. I haven’t met any perfect people yet, so we are in good company. I think the Lord likes us to try, and when we fail, try again. I’m willing to do that!
Blessings to you and yours my friend, in this Advent time,
Ceil
Such an insightful and inspiring post, Ceil. Thank you! My longing is to be so filled with Jesus and His love that it will overflow naturally and freely into everything I do, say, write, and think. Blessings to you!
Hi Trudy! Oh man, I love your longing!! I hope you won’t mind if I borrow that as my prayer. It’s beautiful 🙂
Have a restful night!
Ceil
I love how you think this through in such an honest real way, Ceil. inspiring as usual. I too love the shepherds and wrote a post a while back – may update it and repost it the week of Christmas – about what did the shepherds do afterwards. Just think some of them were young enough – they may have been around to see Jesus in his ministry or at his cruxificion or even resurrection. Their lives were forever changed that night. Makes the imagination go wild thinking how it affected them. Keep having a blessed Advent, friend.
Hi Jean! I read a wonderful series of books by a mystic, who wrote about Jesus’ life. It does address the shepherds. Jesus knew them as an adult, and they knew him as the baby on that miraculous night. According to the mystic, the were the most faithful of all to the Lord. I guess I can see why. Who would forget an encounter like that??
Thank you for your encouragement my friend. I am having a wonderful Advent Season.
Wishing you the same,
Ceil
Just read a quote and thought of you and this post:
“not everyone can wait; neither the sated nor the satisfied nor those without respect can wait. The only ones who can wait are people who carry restlessness around with them.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
I really like the image of carrying restlessness around with me. i keep thinking I need to get rid of anxiety yet I will probably carry that for a lifetime, like being restless. so adjust, manage, let it go.
just sharing.
Any idea the name of that book about the shepherds? would be interesting to read.
I love your ‘sharing’! Thank you for coming back and telling me about the restlessness. We are restless until we rest in him. St. Augustine said that.
The series of books is called “The Poem of the Man-God” by Maria Valtorta. I wish I could tell you which book the shepherds are in. Her visions are written (by her) on Christ’s life in chronological order. There are five books in all. I have them (why don’t you live next door?) and it’s a wonderful series, but the books aren’t cheap. If you have an interest, let me know by private email. I can send you the first one and you can see what you think. If not…that’s okay too!
It seems that the world does everything it can to keep us from practicing “waiting”. If the enemy can keep us running on the treadmills we construct for ourselves, he wins. We don’t. xoxo
Hi Susan! Wow, that’s a great point. Being busy and filling in our waiting time can really be distracting and defeating. Thank you for sharing that 🙂
Waiting is hard for me, but I think it’s hard for a lot of people. I guess it’s best to make peace with the wait, and ask the Lord to give me the grace to endure.
Nice to see you today!
Ceil
That is a good idea. Reflecting on the things that made our life easier or harder. How to act on it and learn from it.
In that way, we can see how God works in the midst of us.
Thank you my friend for your God given wisdom that you shares:)
Hi Joy! I think God likes it when we think about what works for us, and what doesn’t. And also when we think about how to have a better attitude toward our lives. He’s the one who made us, and created our lives, so we should love it!
Thank you for your kind comments Joy. It’s always great to see you here 🙂
Ceil
Awesome post Ceil and all the comments were awesome too! When I hear the word “wait” (something I am really, really bad at), I think of Isaiah 40:31-“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…” My devotional life has improved but there’s always room for improvement.
Ah yes, the challenging people in our lives. How hard it is at times to be Christ-like in our reactions to them. And yet, it is what we are called to do. I have to remind myself that we are called to be the “light of the world” when I feel every emotion BUT love towards them.
Advent Blessings,
Aimee
PS: Thanks for your visit and kind comments on my blog today:)
Hi Aimee! Thank you for coming over to visit me here!
The comments are awesome, aren’t they? I always learn something, or get inspired them. They are a light in the world!
I really like your Scripture passage, thank you for sharing it here. It really helps us all to wait a little more patiently. And in the meantime, practice that patience with others.
I look forward to getting to know you better!
Ceil
Oh how I must practice patience with certain friends who seem a bit too needy. And that one close family member who after a while just zaps my strength. Thanks for the reminder!
Hi Deb! I think we can all relate to your struggles my friend. It seems that God makes sure we have a few tough people to deal with every day, just so we can practice patience. I need a lot of practice, so I can see why he does it!
Always great to see you 🙂
Ceil
Hi Ceil,
I am not such a good to wait on things, either, year it’s a fruitful exercise 🙂
Your Advent meditation is inspiring, I would like to do the same … Is is from a book or a devotional you follow?
Blessings to your day, sweet friend,
Nina xx
Hi Nina! I’m so glad your are seeing Advent as fruitful for you. Yay!
The book I am using is called “Advent and Christmas/Wisdom from Padre Pio”. There is a series of these Advent and Christmas books, I’m sure you can view them on Amazon. Each one has a different saint who provides the quotes. I hope you like it!
Advent blessings,
Ceil
Amen! Grace is a present we can extend right back to God by our own call to action in our lives. Love the balance you described of stillness as well as action. This is the perfect way to prepare for Jesus’ birth and the acceptance of His call in our lives. Blessings, Ceil!
Hi Mary! Thank you for your visit today. May we all prepare well for his coming 🙂
Blessings,
Ceil
Ahh, it’s been awhile, dear friend! Sorry I haven’t been on here much. I haven’t been home much and have been very busy. Christmas time seems to be that way for most. I am going to need a much needed nap after this month. 🙂
I love this post! Very timely indeed. I need God’s Grace each day as much as I need water. May your cup runneth over!
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
Hugs to you,
Amy
Hi Amy! Oh, that’s okay my friend. You have a young family and the holiday prep. I get it! I always love to see you here though, it’s a treat 🙂
I pray that you will have a happy and holy Christmas and new year too. Blessings to you and yours,
Ceil
Waiting is a topic close to my heart because I am still in the phase of waiting myself. I love the process because I can feel myself becoming a better person but yes it could get tiring and discouraging sometimes. Thanks for this sharing. Merry Christmas in advance!
Hi Lux! I think it’s a great gift to love the waiting process. And to know that it’s helping you to improve as a person too!
I hope I can always keep that sense of wonder as I think and act through the days of Advent. And I sure hope that I’m becoming a better person too.
Have a wonderful Wednesday 🙂
Ceil
Cei: Waiting for me is a learned response. I remember one pastor I had told of a cartoon his wife had (It was posted over her kitchen sink.) It showed a boy with a megaphone up to his mouth. The caption is choice: “I want patience and I want it now!” That is how I wanted things when I was younger. Now, I just relax in the Lord and wait until He sees I am ready for what I am supposed to have. Blessings to you and yours.
Hi Cecelia! I remember something similar to that. A man stood next to his microwave, yelling at it to “Hurry up!”
I certainly need work on patience too my friend. I suppose I’ll work on it all my life. I love the fact that you relax in Christ and wait for him. What a grace! I hope to be more like you in the future.
How is your shoulder these days? I thought of you this week, hoping you are all ‘unfrozen’.
Have a peaceful evening. Blessings to you and yours as well!
Ceil