It always seems like when I’m writing my column, I’m somewhere different.
As I write this, I find myself on the MV Highlanders en route back to Newfoundland. Leading up to the voyage, I was in Miramichi, New Brunswick, helping my in-laws with the daunting task of moving back to Newfoundland. The entire trip has been full of the idea of being prepared: my father-in-law preparing for retirement, the whole family preparing for the return to Newfoundland, and everything that comes with it.
On the homefront, our family of three is preparing to welcome a fourth member in just a few short weeks. And the preparations that come with that seem to be facing us more and more as we get closer.
I’m a creature that likes to be prepared. I like to know what’s coming—when I take a vacation, I like knowing what’s planned, where we’re staying, and so on.
By the time you’re all reading this, we’ll be only a couple of weeks away from Advent once again. Every year, we talk about Advent as a time of—you guessed it—preparation. Between preparing for Christmas, Advent often feels like it takes a back seat in the third row of the minivan.
Advent preparation is far too important to overlook, my friends. We are called to always be prepared for the return of the Saviour. The thing is, as humans, we’ve been preparing for two millennia for an event that (to the best of our knowledge, anyway) still hasn’t happened. It therefore becomes easy to get frustrated with preparing. It would be infinitely easier to prepare if we were just given the date!
Yet Christ reminds us that neither the day nor the hour is ours to know. He tells us to keep watch and stay steadfast. We are to remain persistent in prayer and faithful in our calling to do as God calls us to do.
Which, at face value, doesn’t sound like a lot to do to prepare.
But it’s far more than just that, my friends. It’s about seeking out God in every nook, cranny, and crevice of society. It’s about pushing the boundaries of our comfort zones to find God where we least expect Him. It’s about reconciling with those whom we feel have deeply wronged us. It’s about truly living as best we can following the best model for life there is.
The key there is to do the best that we can. Just as we prepare as best we can for a trip or a change of life (and trust me, there are times when being prepared is almost impossible!), we are called to do the best we can to be prepared for Christ’s return.
Our best is different for all of us, and I can’t tell you exactly what to do. But friends, do your best this Advent season to prepare your hearts for when Christ returns to us. And in turn, that will inspire others to prepare their hearts as well.