And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.
Psalm 39:7
There are many reasons to love Christmas. For me, one of those reasons, is the preparation that goes into it. Christmas is a season not just a one day event. I realize that very fact can be stressful as well with all the time and effort we put into celebration preparation. But, that is a whole other discussion.
I just love being surrounded by Christmas for weeks on end. Some of that probably comes from the fact that my mother loved Christmas. In our house, the tree and decorations went up Thanksgiving weekend and would often stay in place until deep into February!
For Christians, Advent is to be a season of spiritual preparation to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Advent means "coming". For me, part of that preparation is reading Advent-focused devotions. This morning's devotion convicted me which is why I am writing.
The focus verse is Psalm 39:7. The devotion is from "The King is Coming" found on the Bible App from YouVersion. The writer spoke to the fact the Israelites longed for centuries for the Messiah to come and to deliver them. They just didn't know when.
We have record of His coming. His birth. So, we celebrate it!
But, as the author noted, we share common ground with the Israelites. You see, Advent for us is meant not just to be spiritual preparation for Christmas celebration but, also a preparation for His Second Coming.
We've been waiting. And it is a looooooong wait!
And like the Israelites, we can be encouraged by the fulfillment of God's other promises. Christmas is a reminder that He came once so He will come again!
Here is where it gets personal...... and real.
I am patiently impatient.
I am patiently impatient.
What???
I can project patience....and sometimes its legit.....and sometimes its not. There's alot of anxious and wondering thoughts rolling around.
The devotional writer ended with this question: "In what small ways could you alter your attitude about waiting....shifting from impatient to expectant?"
What????
Why not just swapping impatience with patience???
Expectant???
My mind immediately went to our adoption process. Formally, started January 2015. Paperwork filed October 2015. Still waiting December 2016. What are we waiting for right now? A piece of paper called a license to be issued to RLMI so we can proceed. Government bureaucracy. Third-world (some call it Fifth) government bureaucracy.
I've been patiently impatient. That seems good enough.
Expectant???
That's where Advent gets hard. Each day that you are expectant and the day ends with the promise unfilled seems like disappointment, doesn't it? I am sure it was hard for the Israelites just as it is for us. And whether we are talking the Coming Messiah, adoption or a desired change in our circumstances, being expectant is hard because its mixed with disappointment.
Shifting my attitude from impatient to expectant? This is a lesson I need to learn in this adoption. Being patiently impatient is not enough.
I'll close with this final thought from Mark 9:24: Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
The devotional writer ended with this question: "In what small ways could you alter your attitude about waiting....shifting from impatient to expectant?"
What????
Why not just swapping impatience with patience???
Expectant???
My mind immediately went to our adoption process. Formally, started January 2015. Paperwork filed October 2015. Still waiting December 2016. What are we waiting for right now? A piece of paper called a license to be issued to RLMI so we can proceed. Government bureaucracy. Third-world (some call it Fifth) government bureaucracy.
I've been patiently impatient. That seems good enough.
Expectant???
That's where Advent gets hard. Each day that you are expectant and the day ends with the promise unfilled seems like disappointment, doesn't it? I am sure it was hard for the Israelites just as it is for us. And whether we are talking the Coming Messiah, adoption or a desired change in our circumstances, being expectant is hard because its mixed with disappointment.
Shifting my attitude from impatient to expectant? This is a lesson I need to learn in this adoption. Being patiently impatient is not enough.
I'll close with this final thought from Mark 9:24: Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”