Advent Reflection: 2nd December - Gemma Willis

Every day in Advent 2016 we will be sharing short reflections from authors, Christian charities and Eden team members.

Waiting is a funny old thing. And most of the time, we really don’t like it.

Waiting for a bus to arrive, well that can be cold or uncomfortable at this time of year, especially if there isn’t a seat at the bus stop and the bus is running late. Waiting for the next episode of your favourite TV show to become available, that can be a nail biting, super stressful experience – when really you just wish you could binge on the whole series all at once, just so you don’t have to wait to find out what happens next. Waiting for a hospital appointment – when you know there’s something wrong, but you don’t quite know what – that kind of waiting can feel like forever…

But why is waiting so difficult for us? I think it’s because waiting takes away our control.

We don’t know what will happen or in some cases even when it will happen! We don’t know exactly when the bus will arrive, we don’t know if our beloved TV character will make it through the next battle, we don’t know what the dreaded scan might show, we don’t know what the future holds and so we wish away the present so that the unknown turns into something known, something we can actually deal with.

But what if the awkward unknown-ness of waiting is exactly what God wants us to experience during advent? What if he is inviting us to relinquish all of our control, and rest in knowing that he is in control? What if he wants us to pause in the present, to focus on the moment rather than wondering how many days are left before we need to buy the turkey?

I think we need to re-learn how to wait. How to rejoice in the uncertain times, how to thank God for the space he has given us to rest in him.

May this advent could be a time not just of waiting for the arrival of our saviour, but a time of waiting on him to soothe, calm and renew our hearts…

Author of Diary of a Disciple, Gemma Willis has used her 12-plus years of working with Children and Young People to create engaging, relevant, and accessible new ways of presenting the Gospel to all ages.