Actively Waiting

Actively Waiting Devotional

This devotional looks at the season of Advent as a time of waiting where we are not to be be passive as we wait but instead we are to be actively waiting in anticipation by preparing ourselves for the event of Christmas.  Let us prepare our hearts and minds!

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait?

THOUGHTS:

When frustrated with waiting on someone, my mom would often say “Oh, he is as slow as Christmas!”  I guess that phrase works for about 10 – 11 months a year. It seems null and void though in this season we are in presently – the season of Advent. The expression loses some of its humor and vigor when there are only a few weeks until Christmas Day.

Advent is the epitome of waiting, is it not? Christmas is the ultimate goal of our “waiting.” Little children, and if we are honest, most adults, wait expectantly for December 25^th with visions of great food, lots of family and friends, and of course, the perfect gift! I propose though, that the waiting should not be a passive outlet, but one of initiative-taking behavior. Maybe the “waiting” period should not be a time of laying back and allowing Christmas to happen but instead be an opportunity to change things and allow Christmas to be a culmination of all that we do during these four weeks. In the Book of Acts, Peter is miraculously freed from prison and knocks on the door. His friends and family, praying for his release, do not believe it is Peter knocking, even though a servant has seen him. Peter persists, proactively knocking on the door but eventually, with no response, leaves. The people were fervently praying for a miracle, in fact, “waiting” for a miracle and they ignored it when it actually occurred.

So, during Advent, instead of passively sitting in our churches, waiting for Christmas to occur, maybe the better choice would be to pursue avenues of giving and generosity, in order to purposefully celebrate the dawn of Christmas Day. Maybe it would behoove us to be able to reflect on the four weeks of Advent as a period of action. Maybe instead of a few days off work or a vacation from school, we can intentionally utilize this time to make a small difference in this world. What better way to commemorate God allowing His Son to be born into this world, than to say, “I have tried to make this world that He is entering, a better place for our King.”  When we are waiting for a baby to born in our earthly world, we don’t wait until the night before the birth to purchase baby clothes, a crib, and bottles. We prepare for the momentous event as soon as the news is out. It’s a 9-month long celebration and anticipation of what God has presented us with, a new and beautiful child. Many of us spend countless hours in “waiting” rooms of all kinds throughout the year. Yet, we make sure to actively fill our time with a book, or a magazine, or if I can bring myself into the 21^st century – catching up on texts. We are not willing to just sit and wait. We do something. Maybe this Advent can be more than just waiting.

Advent is defined as a “coming into place” or an “arrival.”  God tried everything else. The Ten Commandments, the Great Flood, prophets, and the list goes on and on. Yet, being those free-will humans that we are, we never really learned our lesson. Then God made the ultimate sacrifice in order to save us. He sent His Son to “come into place” to save the world for eternal life. The Baby Jesus’ “arrival” proclaimed to the world that He loved us so much that He was willing to perform the ultimate sacrifice for His children. So, in these days before His arrival, we can be preparing to meet Him by honoring him. That honor can manifest itself into many forms. It could be a generous contribution to the church or a charity. It could be bringing gifts to an orphanage or a nursing home. It could be contributing time to feed the homeless. It could be making a phone call to a long-lost friend to make amends. Or how about attempting to break a bad habit in order to allow more of your efforts, money, and time to be for Jesus and not the addiction? There are countless ways to “wait” for Jesus. Just don’t let it be ONLY waiting. Allow our waiting time to be overflowing with active kindness in recognition of what God has done for our redemption.

PRAYER: 

Baby Jesus, sweet infant, holy baby. Bless us this Christmas season. Keep us actively pursuing ways to honor You. Keep us searching for your Birth through positive and helpful avenues of generosity. Help us to see beyond our earthly selfishness and instead look towards the manger for ways of respecting Your Holiness. Bless us this Advent period with the JOY and GLORY of Christmas! AMEN!

We hope you enjoyed our devotional on Actively Waiting for the arrival of Christmas during this season of Advent.