What if we treated all waiting in the same way we breathlessly anticipate the coming of Christ during Advent? Just imagine with me, for a moment, the change in our attitudes as the following manner of thought and feeling would overcome the darkness in our lives, as the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus overcame the darkness of this world:

•	Diligently working throughout the year believing that a raise is coming, instead of contemplating another year without recognition.
•	Thanking God for the slowness of the driver in front of us because we know we are meant to be right where we are in the moment, even if we may be “late” according to this world’s timing. 
•	Expecting God’s answer to be a perfect comfort and guide when the doctor calls with the test results, no matter what the results are. 
•	Expressing gratitude for circumstances of frustration that increase our need for God’s strength as we look for a reply from that potential new employer. 
•	Trusting the soft landing of our Savior’s embrace as we watch a loved one’s life transition into new birth in eternity.
•	Looking forward to glory, joy, love, and laughter when the baby is born.
•	Knowing the outcome of the court case will be for the good of all those who love Him. 
•	Breathing in the gift of rejection because rejection is just another word for “it’s not my time right now.” 

The main problem with the attitude of the bullet points above is this: The waiting of Advent, no matter how spiritually superior we may think we are, is truly a waiting masked by hindsight. And, as we all know, hindsight is equivalent to twenty-twenty vision. As Billy Graham once said, “I have read the last page of the Bible; it’s all going to turn out all right.” We who believe in His amazing grace are content in our waiting because we know the result of our waiting is Jesus. What could be better than that? 

But, as we wait for a raise, after years of not receiving one, aren’t we fools if we continue to work diligently? If we don’t honk our horn at the slow driver, how will that person know to get out of our way? How can we not worry about and plan for potential cancer and all its treatments? Isn’t it insane to stay at a place where a daily dose of frustration is inevitable? How can we not wallow in sadness and regret as we visit those we love in nursing facilities and hospitals? What if the baby is born with a birth defect, or how will we pay the bills that ensue with another child? What if the verdict is jail, or death, or innocence? When will it ever be my time – my turn? 

Not knowing what the future holds, and not having things go our way in the moment, are not equivalent with twenty-twenty vision. They are blurry and often cause double vision. But what if we had a way to treat them as if “it’s all going to turn out all right?” I’m not talking about a Pollyanna way of looking at things here, I’m talking about an attitude that changes everything. An attitude of Advent to last the whole year through. 

During a particularly dark time in my life, a friend gave me this prayer to say: 

Thank You, God, for these circumstances. 
Help me to trust You to work for Your good within them.

At the time, I was less than impressed by my friend’s ability to be comforting. In fact, I was downright insulted. In order to not appear rude, I wrote the prayer on a piece of paper and shoved it in my purse, noting aloud that I would say it (and knowing inside that I would not!). I walked away, knowing this friend wasn’t one that I could trust for support in this matter. 

What happened from there, I cannot explain thoroughly. I do not remember when the prayer surfaced from my purse, and why I didn’t throw it away when it did, but I do know this…I started saying it. I started looking directly into that dark time and saying that prayer. Furthermore, I don’t know how long it was that I was saying that prayer, but I do know this…it worked. Don’t get me wrong here, it didn’t change the circumstances. The circumstances were from the past and could never be changed. What changed was how I viewed the circumstances. 

I started to recognize things like where I had landed when I met this peaceful friend who handed me that prayer. I saw the people who welcomed me into their worlds in the midst of my pain and in spite of my intolerance. I felt the icy edges of my heart melting away. Then I heard myself say for the first time, “I would never want to go back and experience that again, but I’m grateful it happened; it has helped to make me who I am today, and I really like her.”

Never, in a million years, did I think I could be grateful for those circumstances. And yet, that’s what God did in that prayer. God changed me. God changed my heart. God blessed me with the ability to trust Him to work in those circumstances; and He showed me that nothing is “never” when I trust Him. 

Today, as I look out at the 55th Advent of my life, I know two things for certain. First, I know that Christmas will come. We will sing praises in church, and we will join together to thank God for the greatest Gift ever given to this world. Second, I know that when I put my trust in God, all my waiting will be with the same anticipation of a child at Christmas. My heart will be full, knowing that God will fill every nook and cranny of my soul with His love, comfort, and strength. 

As I write these last words of this particular rambling, it has been a month since I left a job that I had worked for over thirty years, in order to pursue a career as an author. I should be terrified. 

Instead of being terrified, I am anticipating a glorious gift! 
When? I have no idea. 
How? Marketing myself is brutally painful! 
Why? Because I trust the Giver.