MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS PHOTO taken by Justin Sinclair
A few Christmases ago I was waiting in line at a big box store (the one that sells awesome hotdogs), reminding myself of why I don’t frequent big box stores. Is it just me or does the shortest line always become the slowest line because I’m in it?
The longer I waited the more frustrated I became. Unseasonal words filled my mind. “Why me, Lord?”
Waiting
And as I waited I had an “aha” moment. Waiting. I was waiting to get through the line. Nothing spectacular. I wasn’t waiting on something spiritual, as in “waiting on the Lord.”
But I was experiencing what the weeks before Christmas are supposed to mean to Christians. The very heart of Advent (the four Sundays before Christmas) is about waiting or better yet – preparing. The work of taking an inventory of attitudes, habits, opinions or whatever hinders us from experiencing God’s love and submitting them to the grace of Jesus.
My aha moment led me to try and use waiting in lines as a forced moment of reflection. Not through gritted teeth but a grateful heart. Believe me, I’ve had lots of practice. But the approach has kept me from getting ulcers and other ill effects.
Reflecting
And so tonight, as I waited for a train to pass – one that must surely have been the slowest train in the world with a seemingly endless number of rail cars – I reflected.
Images and sounds from Christmases at North Pointe flowed by with each passing car.
I wondered about people who are waiting for something good to happen for them. And I think how this Christmas at North Pointe could be what they are waiting for.
Rock Choir 2016
Rock Choir 2013
Rock Choir 2014
Rock Choir 2015
Christmas Shoeboxes 2015
Christmas Shoeboxes 2016
Hope Terra Christmas Baskets
Women’s Christmas Gathering 2016
King’s Kids Choir 2014
Children’s Christmas 2015
The Kimos on Christmas Eve
APPLICATION: Has this post been of benefit to you? Will you try using waiting in lines as moments of grace this Christmas? If so, let me know your experience. Please leave a comment below. Thank you and have your best Christmas season ever! And why not use this post to invite your family and friends to make new memories at North Pointe this month.
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