Advent/Christmas Reflections

God has given me a lot to think about this Advent. If there's one lesson that I'm in the process of
learning, it's patience. I'm not a patient person, and the past year has been a test of my patience, will, and obedience. Out of those three, the only thing I don't have a problem with is the will, but only my will. Luckily, we have a built in season to reflect on what patience, will, and obedience really mean. The best example? Mary.

Check out Mary's track-record. The woman has patience. She didn't know how God's plan was going to unfold for her. All she knew, she knew from the angel who told her, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God... for nothing will be impossible for God." (Luke 1:35,37). Mary's response? "“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38). She had the patience and the faith to let things play out as God planned them. 

I've come to see that faith and patience are two peas in a pod. Have you ever been impatient about something and asked God why he would do this? Have you ever wanted something so bad that you took shortcuts and had that come back to shake your faith a little bit? I know I have. Take the last year of my life: I wanted to go to school-- I cut corners, I was accepted, and it caused me so much stress, but I pressed on because I thought I knew God's plan. I wanted to buy a house. I put in four offers on houses I thought were the ones that God wanted me to have, yet, I now see that it was me who thought those were the right choices. I was taking shortcuts, and trying to see the easy way out. Patience is work. Faith is work. 

Aligning your will to God's will... it's work. Mary's will trusted God's will and she never once questioned it. Even as the magi and shepherds were coming to the manger, Mary must have known that God has a special plan, but she didn't try to figure it out, she simply "kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." (Lk 2:19) Don't try to figure out God's will, just reflect on the graces in your life, and God will make his plan known to you. Be patient, don't put your will ahead of God's will. 

Finally, obedience. I will be the first to say that if you tell me to do something and make it sound threatening, I will do the opposite. Don't tell me what to do is one of the refrains constantly resounding in my brain. But, really it's not because I'm stubborn, but because I like to keep control of my life. If I'm obedient to you, can I trust that you won't lead me off a bridge? Well, God is not going to lead me off a bridge. Mary was obedient. Mary was obedient all the way to the foot of the cross to watch her son die. Her heart broke, yet she was obedient to God, trusting that he had a plan. That the death of her son, of God's son was not going to be for nothing, that this pain would not be for nothing. Lesson heard: our pain is not for nothing. Our obedience to God will never lead us into more than we can handle because God is there to pick us up... to make sure that we don't fail. If we trust and obey God then we will be reach greater heights than we ever could have fathomed. 

See, patience, a shift in the will, and obedience are all connected. They affect one another. If one is out of whack the other two follow suit, and it creates a hostile heart. If we're out of whack with God, we're out of whack with others, and we are not true to ourselves. Our hearts will be out of sorts because they will be disconnected from God, our true selves, and others. So as this Advent season winds down, I'm challenging myself (and you can join in this challenge) to make my heart a welcoming place for Jesus this Christmas. In a world that is hostile, that has no room for him, I will make a place for him in my heart. It's probably right up there with a stable, but it's all I have to offer, and I really do believe that it will be enough for God. 
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