I don't wait very well. Although having children has taught me how to be better at it, patience is really not my strong suit. But still, I think waiting is generally hard for many of us. With so many technological advances over the last few decades, our wait times have lessened, and we've adapted quite easily to the instant gratification of today's world. It's a bit spiritually dangerous, actually.
Think about it. How many of us get frustrated if Netflix doesn't appear on our screens thirty seconds after we click the icon? If we can't wait thirty seconds for something, then how are we ever going to wait for God's plan for our lives to come to fruition? He has his own timeline, His own schedule for when things happen, and it certainly isn't thirty seconds after we ask for it. Heck, the Israelites had to wait something like 400 years for the Messiah to make an appearance! They wandered in the desert - in the dark - for 400 years, waiting for God to keep His promise.
I don't know about you, but I don't think I could ever wait that long for something, especially if I have to wait in the dark. The dark is a scary place. For the entire week when my husband is away on a work trip, I leave a light on downstairs all day and night so that if I get up in the middle of the night, I have something to ground me. The light gives me a sense of security when I'm alone in the house.
God sure knew what he was doing when He sent His son into the world during the darkest time of the year. The winter solstice is the darkest day of the year, the shortest period of daylight we have, and depending on the calendar, it occurs on either December 21 or 22. It's no coincidence, then, that three or four days later, we celebrate the birth of the Light of the World. God knows that we're visual creatures so He chose a time of physical darkness to bring us the Light. He kept his promise and gave us something - someone - to hold on to during our times of spiritual darkness.
And the best part about it is we don't have to wait for it. The Light - our Messiah - has already come. He has already forgiven our sins. He has already planted His light like a tree in our hearts so that all we need to do to find it is turn inward. We have His light with us always. So while waiting can still be a challenge, at least we don't have to do it in the darkness anymore.
Even though the Messiah has already come, we still find ourselves waiting with anticipation for Christmas and all the traditions it brings. This is why I think Advent is a perfect time to reset ourselves from the instant gratification of the rest of the year and to focus solely on the Light, on Jesus. I've challenged myself this Advent to practice this so that it becomes a habit I can continue throughout the year.
2020 has been a year full of waiting. Some may even view it as a year of waiting in darkness, but I think if we can remember to focus on the Light not just during Advent, then maybe the waiting will get easier. Maybe we'll feel the peace and presence of God like the shepherds. Maybe our eyes will be opened to something amazing like the Wise Men.
So whether you're waiting on news from a doctor or to hear about a job offer or simply for the pandemic to end, know that you are not alone in your waiting. You are not in the darkness. My goal with this playlist is to remind you that God has already sent the world His Light, and we get to celebrate that gift in just a few short days.
Click HERE to listen on Spotify.
Click HERE to listen on YouTube.
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