Do you remember that giddy feeling of anticipation? Your heart pumps, your skin tingles – you feel almost like you could leap through time…as you wait.
There is a commercial this year that shows four kids, probably ages 2-5, sitting on a couch with headlamps on. They bubble over with excitement and anticipation as their headlights illuminate their point of interest: the fireplace. They are waiting for Santa to show up.
Christmas is about anticipation. Some traditions celebrate advent – waiting for Jesus to show up. Much of the Western world exudes a buckets of energy with the hustle and bustle of the season.
My studies lately have taken me down a reflective path, looking at the spiritual disciplines again. I’ve listened to The Power of Pause
It occurs to me that when Jesus said we should become like little children (Matthew 18), we might consider the kids on the couch. You see, they weren’t hustling to create moments of joy. They were sitting still, waiting to receive. Their joy was in the waiting.
Their joy was in the waiting.
Now I know that there is a need for the hustle. Someone has to shop for the gifts, wrap them, make the candy and cookies, practice for the Christmas concert, decorate the tree. At the same time, I wonder what waiting with anticipation might look like in this very grownup world. Might we look for Jesus’ presence as we bake, or keep an eye out for His delights as we shop? What if we paused to enjoy the ambiance of the Christmas decorations and smells, and took those moments to listen for Jesus’ presence?
How would your Christmas season change if you entered each day with a headlamp on your head, looking and waiting for Jesus to show up and shower you with delights?
One Response
Their joy was in the waiting- I like it! Maybe we can see the “anticipation of the gift” as enjoyable and important as “the gift” itself. I wonder if this principle easily lends itself to enjoying “the journey” as much as “the arrival.” And maybe that’s our task after all.