The season of waiting

Advent is the season of waiting, but there are different ways to wait.

We can wait with bad grace, letting frustration build. We pace, but don't actually go anywhere, spending energy to no purpose. Or we sit passively and get nowhere. We get impatient. We try to move things along in our own way, thinking we know best, rather than waiting for them to unfold in due time. We are eager only for the end result.

There's a better way to wait.

When we wait with grace, we see the waiting as a time of preparation, a time of learning. I like to think of this as active waiting. It is not time that is wasted, but time that is spent preparing for the next step, gathering resources, and being ready. It is waiting with expectation rather than frustration. It is understanding that the waiting is necessary, even when it feels like it's never going to end.

During this Advent season, wait with anticipation, with expectation, with patience. Then you'll be ready when the time comes.