This Advent season I am prepping my heart and soul to receive, not to chase. I have a good Protestant work ethic. No matter how many times I’ve heard and tried to accept the absurd abundance of God’s grace, I’ve found myself thinking and acting like I just needed to work a little harder, make myself an acceptable vessel of God’s grace. Of course, I believed that God’s love was for everyone, but I should work a little harder for it, just in case.
It's not just during this season that we find ourselves pulling out all the stops, working to create the perfect environment to entice God to show up. It strikes me that this is so audacious and truly absurd. It’s like creating the “perfect” photo to share on social media. You know the ones, hair just so, lighting that highlights the good parts and shades the imperfections. Where in Scripture does it say that God shows up when we have it all together, when the house is clean and smells of Christmas cookies and pine trees, the family gathered round the fire and everyone happy? Do those times happen, yes, and I’m profoundly grateful for them. More often than not, the picture is not so perfect.
When we are surrounded by chaos―and in these days I often feel overwhelmed by it―it’s so tempting to go in search of joy. To create the perfect environment to please God and entice God to bless us. I think it is time to stop. Joy doesn’t come in spite of the chaos, but in the midst of it. God isn’t calling me to create the perfect space for the incarnate Word to be made flesh, but to be fully present and engaged in the moment so I don’t miss it.
So this Advent, may we be present to one another. May we have the courage to show up. Show up with all our fear, our anger, our sorrow, and our tenacious hope that God will show up with us and everything is changed because of that.
Kathey Golightly Sanders has been a member of Highland for 42 years. She is wife to Mark, mother to Kristin, Evan, and Kaitlin, and GG to Emilee, Jaxon, Stanton, and Ruby Mae.