“...for nothing
will be impossible for God.” - LK 1:26-38
All
four candles are lit during this week, characterizing the cycle of a single day
moving from dusk till dawn with a hope of light to emerge. Advent remains a
continuous season of our spiritual life, encouraging us to reflect on who we
think we are to what God has called us to be, from observant believers to
active doers. It invites us to pause between our plans, goals, and agendas to
face deeper issues. Shaking our steadiness, it challenges us to change our
present situation and learn how to live with insecurity, develop deeper trust
in the unknowns, and believe more fully in His promises. All easy to speak, yet
sometimes difficult to truly accept.
Three
days before Thanksgiving, I received news that my uncle was diagnosed with
stage IV cancer and had only three to six months to live. My heart saddened and
never was it so clear how much I loved and admired him. Upon arriving to
Colorado, I was prepared to marinate in the pain. What struck me in spending
time with my uncle was everything he was not - angry, felt cheated, or singled
out by fate. He shared, “I am not afraid
and feel blessed this lifetime. If this is His will, then I am in complete
trust. But while I am here, I want to live each moment presently and enjoy it.”
My
uncle modeled Mary for me this Advent. He showed me how to say ‘yes’ when it
gets uncomfortable and inconvenient. He heard a summons from deep within and
responded with love. He inspired me to ask myself, “Do I believe in His promises? How do I choose to wait?” All our
lives God invites us to discover and accept who we are because each moment is
part of an eternal process of becoming. He gives us the help, strength, and
means to respond. We can either yield to His grace or resist and go on our way.
Lord, you enter
into the heart of our transformation. Help us wait like Mary with willingness,
obedience, and abiding trust.
Reflected by Tam Lontok
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