Advent is traditionally a time for waiting. We await the birth of the Christ child who is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. We look to the future for His return and the final judgement that will take place on that day. We look to the festive holiday ahead when we celebrate the greatest gift ever given to mankind, Jesus Christ. We wait for the first significant snowfall in many parts of the land. We wait for the first Christmas lights to dazzle the nighttime. It is a time of waiting for something to happen. The closer we get to Christmas itself, the more anxious we become for the holiday to be upon us.
But I would like to propose a waiting that many of us are most likely unaware of. Do you know that God is waiting for you? Do you know that one of the main reasons the human race has been created is because God loves us so much that He wants us to draw near to Him in order to return that love and bask in His graces. From the sin of Adam and Eve, God has waited for us! We are that important and that loved.
But because of sin and our own blindness, we often turn our backs on Him, choosing instead to go our own way. That, ironically, is also a gift from God. It is called free will and it was freely given to us by the Divine Creator. His promise is that He will never interfere with our free will no matter how misguided we may become. He has lived up to that promise!
God will not force our hands nor will He force us on to some path that will inevitably lead us to Him. He presents us with numerous opportunities to turn our hearts and minds to Him daily. He awaits us in the sunrise, that spectacular moment when the life giving star we know as the sun appears over the horizon without fail. He awaits us in the lonely souls living in nursing homes who have no visitors or families. He awaits us in the hunger and cold of difficult economic times which try the souls and fabric of family life. He awaits us in the homeless who drift from one spot to another in the cold at this time of year. He awaits us in the downcast and trodden under foot who society has deemed unimportant, insignificant. He awaits us in the frightened young girl who finds herself pregnant and can think of abortion as the only way out. He awaits us in our neighbors, those who live around us and who we see coming and going daily but we don't know their names or much about them.
Yes, God does wait for you in all of these things and many more. He especially awaits you in the moment when we commemorate the coming of His Son into this world to bring us the good news of salvation and eternal life. He knows our heart deeply yearns for Him for He created that heart, a heart that has been emptied by the pain and loneliness of sin. Yet, He is willing to forgive and accept us back into His loving arms as we continue on in our life's journey.
During this busy Advent season, as you wait in line to buy your Christmas presents, look around you and you will see Him everywhere and in everything, waiting and wondering when you will come to Him in humility and love, seeking only His great heart and mercy. God does indeed reveal Himself to us in every way, shape, and form imaginable. We must simply have the trust to see Him. For He is there, waiting!
