I am not, by nature, a patient person. I like things done my way and in my time. Mothering continues to challenge me to be more patient … not just with my children, but also with myself. (I am most impatient with myself).
This time of year tries the little patience I do have. Long lines snake around the post office and stores. Traffic crawls along, always on my route. My task lists grow longer and longer, and it seems that my days grow shorter and shorter (and not just in terms of daylight!).
At the same time, my faith calls me to practice the virtue of patience. Watch! Wait and see! Prepare yourself. Prepare the way of the Lord.
The cold weather and deepening darkness of December invite me to slow down, to be more still, to curl up in a blanket with a cup of tea. I am learning that the best way for me to practice patience is by practicing stillness. Stillness is intentional. It has a purpose. It is not zoning out from exhaustion, but stopping activity and choosing to be fully present in the moment.
While our culture stresses activity this time of year, Advent invites us to celebrate stillness. It invites us to enter into prayer by becoming more intentional in our prayer time, by pouring a cup of tea and watching the stars twinkle in the sky and the lights twinkle on our neighbors’ porches. It invites us to slow our breathing to a gentle cadence: ”come, Lord Jesus, come.”
Come.
Lord Jesus.
Come.
