Posted by Sarah
I feel that Christmas Eve is the most appropriate time to
share this confession. These are the days that I have been anticipating since
last Christmas! Yes, I haven’t grown out of my love for Christmas. I hardly
sleep because of the excitement…this morning I woke up 4:35 (no, I didn't get
out of bed then, just wide awake!). That excitement comes from a year of
waiting for this season!
I've never been a good wait-er. I vividly remember a
Christmas Eve when I was 6 or 7 where I got so excited my Dad had to sit me
down and remind me that Christmas wasn't about me, but about Jesus. I knew the
truth, but got caught up in the excitement of having what I was waiting for
come to fruition.
It’s hard to wait. Most people view waiting as a passive
thing, but I have come to see it as an action; and not an easy action at that!
It takes courage, hope, joy, strength, commitment and community to wait well.
This is true across the board; whether you are waiting for Christmas, school to
start again, a future spouse, children, a job, retirement, vacation, healing,
or (you name it…).
Psalm 62:5-8 says, “Let
all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He alone is my
rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and
honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach
me. O my people, trust in Him at all
time. Pour out your heart to Him for God is our refuge.”
These are words of comfort and challenge. There are quite a
few things that I am waiting for in my life, many are on the list I wrote above
and I will confess, it’s not easy to wait well. I too often make waiting about
me, about what I want, about what I don’t have. I completely forget to trust in
Him at all times, to rest in that fact that He is my rock and my salvation, to
remember that He is my refuge and no enemy can reach me.
So this Christmas Eve, a day when waiting is ever present on
my mind…I pause to remember who I wait on. I wait on God, my creator, my
redeemer, my savior and friend. I trust in Him with my whole heart, even when
that is very difficult to do. I remember what Jesus did for me when He came as
a baby who later died for my sins and the sins of all. The one who has called
me to this place and to love those He has put in my life. That is what active
waiting looks like - trusting God and living/loving well.
I pray that as you celebrate, you would join with me in
quietly, actively waiting before God.
Merry Christmas.
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