'Tis the season to, well...wait. We Christians are waiting for the miracle to happen again, just as it does every December 25 of every year. But are we really waiting on the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Yes, sort of; but I believe we are also waiting on the Second Coming. Now that is a tough sentence to write. We don't know when the Lord will come back for all of us. Will we be waiting for him to carry us home, or are we so wrapped up in our busy lives that we sometimes don't realize that God is already in our presence?
I had an epiphany the other day, or I guess you could call it a revelation. It did not offer a big show of surprise or a loud bang of excitement, but was more of a whisper-a conversation in my head that was just between me and the Holy Spirit. It was all about time. Sometimes I never get enough of it. Sometimes I want it to pass by quickly and sometimes I feel that I never had any at all. Many times I have said, "I can't wait for this to be over" or I might think, "I can hardly wait for it to begin." But then I think about this: What if I am not the only one doing the waiting? What if God is waiting on me, too.
God is all around us all the time. I need to take the time to see him and to be ready to listen, working around the debacles of my daily life that distract me from time with God. This is a major challenge for me; not only do I need to remind myself to stop and pray when I am troubled, but also when I am blessed. It is a practice I have yet to master.
Life is short,
And we do not have much time
to gladden the hearts of those who
make the journey with us.
So be swift to love,
Make haste to be kind.
And the blessing of God,
who made us, who loves us, and who travels with us
be with you now and forever.
A form of this blessing that we hear from Lonnie before we belt out the last hymn on Sunday morning reminds me to take the time-even while driving to work-to let God know my heart. It reminds me to thank God for the food on my table. It reminds me to give God my attention whenever I can, because he is listening, and waiting to stretch out his hand-to me.
