God and a man are walking down the road. The man asks God, “What is the world like?” God replies, “I cannot talk when I am thirsty. If you could get me a drink of cool water, we could discuss what the world is like. There is a village nearby. Go and get me a drink.”
The man goes into the village and knocks at the door of the first house. A beautiful young woman opens the door. His jaw drops, but he manages to say, “I need a glass of cool water.” “Of course,” she says smiling, “but it is midday. Would you care to stay for some food?” “I am hungry,” he says, and your offer of food is truly kind.” He goes in and the door closes behind him.
Thirty years go by. The man who wanted to know what the world was like and the woman who offered him food have married and raised five children. He is a respected merchant and she is an honored member of the community.
One day a terrible storm comes in off the ocean and threatens their life. The man cries out, “Help me, God.” A voice from the midst of the storm says, “Where is my cup of cold water?”
We are always being warned about becoming lost in the world. The demands of everyday life are crazy. There is always more to do and not enough time to do it.
What is the world like? The answer of the story is that it is a place of forgetfulness. Or in Matthew’s Gospel (MT 24:37-44), it is a place where we fall asleep. We do not stay attentive to the spiritual dimension of life. Eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, working in the field, grinding at the mill – it takes all our time, and more importantly – all our mind. When this happens, we find ourselves lacking passion, purpose, and pleasure. And it eventually leads us to the question: “How can I be so busy and yet be so empty?”
And this busyness seems to quadruple during the Christmas season. Busy people become even busier: between the shopping, cleaning, decorating, baking…it just doesn’t end! Unfortunately, this frantic preparation often puts us to sleep spiritually. So how are we to keep spiritually awake in the midst of our everyday activity? How are we to keep awake while working in the field, grinding at the mill, and going to work or school?
We need to incorporate some spiritual exercises into our day and into our personal Advent: schedule a date night with children/parents with no distractions. Have an Advent wreath and pray over it daily. Read daily scriptures. Fast. (Advent is often called a little Lent.) Commit to praying everyday throughout the day. These spiritual exercises will help us “stay awake” and better prepare ourselves for the Lord’s coming and to remind us that we belong to God.
This Advent season, let’s challenge ourselves to stay awake by giving ourselves completely to Jesus – no hesitation, no distractions, no excuses. Let us not make this season about receiving presents, but about being in God’s presence. For God’s presence is our present!
