A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Catholic friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend’s sermons, but he heard them often.
One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by. The young man climbed up to the highest diving board. As he turned his back to the pool on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall: the shadow of his body in the shape of a cross. Instead of diving, he waited, knelt down and asked God to come into his life. As the young man stood, a maintenance man walked in and turned the lights on. The pool had been drained for repairs.
It’s been said that we usually have to wait for that which is worth waiting for. As we are more than half-way through Advent, a time for patience and waiting with eager anticipation for Christmas, we ask ourselves what this waiting means to us.
Is it waiting to celebrate the birth of Jesus? Is the emphasis on the celebration or the arrival of Jesus into our hearts? And just how do we share Jesus with one another?
We wait for many things and pray for many things, hoping that God will listen to our requests and ultimately give us what we want. Afterall, Jesus did tell us to ask and we shall receive, to seek and we shall find, to knock and the door will be opened. But do we get agitated and impatient when our prayers are not instantly heard in the way we want?
We have become a “we want it now” society. For example, we want everything to happen in an instant (like instant text messaging). When we don’t get an immediate response, it bothers us. Advent is a time of waiting patiently. We cannot look for instant gratification when it comes to our faith. We must continue to look toward Jesus and discover his purpose for our lives.
We live as if we are always in a hurry. But I wonder what it would be like to just let life happen and not try to make it happen. Why can’t we slow down and enjoy the journey? Do we take that same attitude of impatience into our relationship with God?
When we are praying to God, we have to be patient. I realize that sometimes we may feel that God has forgotten or has failed to respond to our prayers. But God hasn’t! We need to remember that God does not work according to our timetable. God works in God’s time, and that is often difficult for us to accept. But we need to trust in the fact that God is always a part of our lives.
As we muddle our way through the remainder of Advent, let us remember that although we live in a world filled with instant gratification, our lives with Jesus are to be lived with patience – knowing that God is always with us!
Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord! ~Psalm 27:14
It takes a great deal of patience when pregnant – and we all are. Find out why here.
