Advent Reflection

No one likes to wait. 

But we do wait –  in traffic, at bus stops, in supermarkets, for the doctor, for an expected baby, etc. But one fact is certain waiting is never an easy thing to do.

As the season of Advent begins there is a great sense of waiting. Of course, if we are honest, for most of the people we encounter in our family here at Valley CIDS, a great deal of the excitement has more to do with preparations for the annual frenzy of celebration and consumption that tends to overwhelm this time of year, rather than the true meaning behind the festivities.

In the Christian calendar, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. It marks a season of waiting, preparation and expectation, that looks towards celebrating the first Advent – the birth of Jesus.   

Advent reminds us that waiting requires patience and trust.  Whether it has to do with our relationships, our finances, our careers, our dreams, or the future of our charity, we can trust God, and that trust has been a big part of Valley CiDS story over the past almost 25 years.  Often the changes that happen in us while we wait are as important as what it is we are waiting for. Waiting is a process of trusting and becoming what and who God wants us to be, and Advent reminds us that we can trust God’s wisdom and timing and wait with confidence.  Advent also reminds us that – even when waiting is frustrating or feels a struggle –  it can be good for us! It isn’t easy. It goes against the grain of society. But there’s a hidden benefit in waiting. Waiting can give us time to reflect, to reconnect with God & others, to refocus on what’s important in life and through that waiting, to feel renewed and restored.

We have the privilege of living in a world which has experienced that first Advent – and for this reason we celebrate and rejoice. However, we are conscious that we live in a world that has also been damaged by human activities and greed, which we can challenge and help to restore through our ongoing values of hope, compassion, belonging and inclusion.

Have a great time of expectant waiting in this season of Advent and may you feel renewed and restored.

Written by: David Howe, Valley CiDS Trustee