The Season Of Waiting

I wait in traffic.
I wait in a line at the store.
I wait when I want to talk to Customer Service about something I ordered.
I wait for my newly mopped floors to dry.

What if we tallied our waiting time on any given day?
What we do to pass the time as we wait says quite a lot about us.
Many will look at their phones, unless they are driving.
Some will read a book that they always keep handy for just such an occasion.

Some people are pleasant while they wait.
Some are quite annoyed.
Some people will welcome the downtime.
Some will see it as an annoyance.

Some people are fidgety while they wait.
Some  stand perfectly still.
Some people talk to others in the waiting line.
Some will crane their neck to see if the line is moving at all.

We feel helpless when we wait.
We are at the mercy of something we cannot control.
That may be why waiting is so hard for so many.
The lack of control is a problem.

Do you remember anticipating Christmas when you were a child?
You probably marked off the days on the calendar with a big red X.
The waiting seemed like it went on forever.
Even though you knew the waiting would end, it felt as if the day would never come.

We think of the season of Christmastide as the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
As a child, we may not have understood the reason for our wait.
It is important to focus on the season of Advent; the word itself means, coming.
Advent is the time when we wait for the coming of Jesus.

There are many ways to explain the season of Advent to a child.
It is helpful to have something that a child can see and touch to help with the explanation.
An Advent calendar, where a child will open a door each day until Christmas Eve is helpful.
An Advent wreath, where one new candle is lit each week as we wait for the Light of the World.

Children light the candles (if they are old enough) or blow them out if they are not.
Reading an Advent devotional each day prepares our hearts and turns our focus to Jesus.
Reading Scripture each day helps keep our attention on the meaning of Christmas.
Waiting is difficult but purposeful waiting is so important.

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  to redeem those under the law…(Galatians 4:4,5)

Advent is a season of waiting.
Advent looks backward.
Advent looks forward.
Advent remembers when Jesus came as a Baby and anticipates when Jesus will come back.

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, performed by Fernando Ortega    (Click to listen)

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Children are watching.
Children are watching how we, adults, wait.
Children learn a lot from us as they observe our attitude.
How are we doing?

Why do we wait in the Advent season?
Do our children know the reason for our waiting?
Are we able to explain what Advent means?
Do we tell them about the One the waiting centers upon?

We have so many opportunities during the Advent season to talk about Jesus.
We have so many ways to help a child understand what Christmas really means.
As we explain Christmas to a child, we are actually repeating the Story to ourselves.
We can never hear the Story enough.

It’s a Story the Maker has always told, and the Story my child, is true. (Andrew Peterson)

There is a place for presents and decorations at Christmas.
It is fine to get excited about the trimmings of the season.
Without understanding the meaning of the Story the Maker has told, the waiting is not purposeful.
Without Jesus, all those red X’s on the calendar mean nothing.

I have this lovely piece of artwork from the hand of Jennifer Trafton. (www.jennifertrafton.com) (@jtraftonart)
The words were written by Andrew Peterson, from The Wingfeather Saga.