Impatiently patient: I read this phrase yesterday in article totally unrelated to Advent or Christmas. It seems, however, the perfect phrase for December. For while prayers for patience seem to happen daily this time of year, in the end it goes something like this: "Lord give me patience, AND GIVE IT TO ME NOW!" (this was totally stolen from my church's Shine! Advent study by Patricia Farris).
A month is really not a long time. And given the time-warped speed of today's society, it flies by. We barely even have the time to BE impatient!
But, it's part of the process right? When we know some thing is worth waiting for, the impatience becomes part of the process which makes makes the final arrival of what we have been waiting for all that much sweeter. SO, I shall fully indulge in some impatience for the next 24 hours - then I will be ready to give way to the pure JOY when it comes time to hold the candle and sing Silent Night.
And then the real work begins. For while Christmas Day may pass, the message of the season is only the beginning of the story. We are called to be "impatiently patient dreamers of God's love on earth" - to look ahead for what wonders God has still in store for all of us and for the world" (Claudio Carvalhaes, APCE Advocate, Fall 2011).
Merry Christmas!
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