In a world that has become increasingly averse to the act of waiting, how do we embrace a season in which the Church not only calls us to embrace it, but even celebrate it?
During Advent, the Church calls us all to wait and watch for the mystery of the Incarnation. But all around us in the month of December (and sometimes as early as October!), Christmas celebrations appear to be in full swing. Too often, our world has arrived at the destination before it has embraced the journey.
Worrying All Too Well
Perhaps this Advent, you find yourself in a state of constant worry. Will I coordinate my family’s Christmas plans seamlessly? Will there be enough money for all the gifts I’m hoping to buy my loved ones? When will I get a full night’s sleep again? For some of us, maybe we are so caught up in these anxieties that we find ourselves wishing time would pass us by so that we can be done with it all! Our brains crave structure and certainty. And the act of waiting requires acceptance of the unknown. When we wait, we don’t necessarily know what’s coming next or when.
As a mental health counselor, I’ve come to believe that much of human suffering is rooted in our limited capacity to wait well. Like many of my clients, much of my own anxieties are rooted in a complicated relationship with time. I am anxious to know what the future holds to the point of a disintegration with my present. And this Advent, I’m keenly aware of this reality as my family is starting the process of buying and selling a home! Often, I find myself simply wanting this process to be over. I want certainty and control. I want to know how it all ends.
Amidst all the anxiety associated with the moving parts in my life, I’m noticing the Lord stirring a deep desire. I desire more rest and a deeper relationship with Him. I’m aware that the only place I find peace is recognizing his providence and presence in the present. And this awareness is crucial as I journey towards the future.
Waiting That Transforms
As a counselor, I can trace many symptoms of anxiety that my client’s experience to unmet desires for certainty and a blindness to God’s faithful providence. So often we want the Lord simply to make our problems go away. But as we endure uncertainty throughout our lives, the Lord transforms our hearts. Advent invites us to enter into this this transformation!
In this season, I am reminded, painfully, that life is full of waiting and that the process of waiting is what truly transforms us all.
Questions to reflect on this Advent:
- What are anxious about this Advent?
- What outcome or uncertainty is the Lord calling you to bring to Him?
- How is the process of waiting transforming your heart?
- How can I practice waiting well in this particular struggle?