Let it Be…Present

I hate waiting. Patience has never been one of my strengths, and I would be willing to bet that quite a few people are in this boat with me. And (un)fortunately for me, we have just entered a whole season in the Christian calendar that is all about waiting. Advent is here and we now spend the next four weeks waiting, anticipating,  and looking forward to Christmas.

And there is a part of me that wishes that Advent were just about waiting for Christmas; waiting 4 short weeks for a day to arrive that promises us presents, time with family and loads of food. And yet, this particular Advent season, I have been struck by the reality that this time of holy waiting is about so much more than merely waiting for Christmas, or even waiting for the birth of Jesus. It is about how each of us are called to actively prepare for the coming of the kingdom of God on earth, the birth of the kingdom of God in each of us. It is about recognizing the kingdom in our midst here and now by the presence of the Holy Spirit and how we are called by God to participate in mischievous, creative, and courageous ways to bring about glimpses of the bigger picture, the bigger story- God’s story. And unfortunately, there is no way this journey of waiting will be over by December 26^th.

I have come to discover that one of the hardest parts about waiting is being present to the now. Waiting typically makes us look to the moment of arrival when we will not be waiting any longer and in this day and age there are just about a million distractions to make waiting less agonizing and being present to the now almost impossible. As I rode home with my family after a movie on Thanksgiving, I was struck when I realized that every one of us (besides the driver) was actively engaged in some sort of phone, tablet, etc. It seems that even a 20-minute car ride home is now too long for us (all adults) to be present to each other without having something else to distract our minds and our thumbs.

So after several days of reflecting, I have decided to take up the spiritual practice of being present while I wait over the next few weeks of Advent. People typically give up something for Lent and not Advent but I really want to see what waiting looks like when I am being intentional about being present. For me this means a couple of things:

1.  Being Present to God- Cultivating silence and prayer time when driving (No music or cell phone use in the car). The cell phone part might be an obvious one to most, but don’t judge me. I still call people when in the car. And I don’t plan on following this on drives of more than 2 hours. That’s just torture.

2. Being Present to Myself- No mindless multitasking. I.e. no watching TV and surfing the internet/browsing facebook at the same time. Whatever I am doing, even if it is watching TV, or checking email, I will be fully present to it.

3.  Being Present to others- No mindless checking of phone/internet when in the presence of others (when possible, leaving phone off and put away at meals, during conversations, etc. even in group settings).

4.  Being present to food- No watching TV or being online while eating. Eat meals at the table and not on the couch or in bed. Be better about eating with people and being present to their company.

These are four things that I know will be a challenge for me. Maybe they would be for you as well and you might pick one to see how intentionally being present transforms your waiting period this advent season. Maybe there are other things that might help you to be present and if you can think of one or two I would challenge you to try them out for a few weeks. I realize not all these are practical for all people. Some people can’t turn their phone off whenever they wish. However, emergencies aside, I have never known anyone to lose a job or a significant relationship because it took them 20 minutes to return a phone call. 

So in this season of anticipation, let’s practice actively waiting by being present- to ourselves, to God and to others.  I have a hunch that God just might have some things to say to us, just as Gabriel did to Mary all those years ago, announcing the coming of the kingdom in our own lives and stories. And may our response be the same as hers, “Let it be to me according to your word, Lord.” Yes, God. Let it be. Let us be….present.