"For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
It was a college student's worst nightmare! For weeks, one of my son's friends had been preparing for her final exam in chemistry. As a potential pharmacy student, she knew that it was critical for chemistry grade to be as strong as possible. Midway through the semester, she began attending other professors' lectures, in hopes they would provide additional clarity that would enhance her comprehension. She signed up and participated in numerous study group sessions and even held a few of her own with various classmates. She located previous course lecture packets that the college had posted online and diligently reviewed them every night.
The night before the final exam, she locked herself in her room and thoroughly reviewed all of her notes until the early hours of the morning. Totally exhausted, she climbed into her bed hoping to rest her eyes and her mind for just a brief period of time before she was scheduled to report to class.
When she awoke, immediate panic consumed her entire body. Frantically, she searched for her alarm clock. Her body froze in horror when she realized that she had overslept and the designated exam time was more than halfway over. Despite all of her phenomenal intentions and preparations, she almost missed the important event that had generated all of her industrious efforts.
As the season of Advent begins, we need to guard against a similar danger. Advent is the season of preparing and getting ready to celebrate the birth of Christ, but sometimes, we focus so much on the holiday preparations that we tend to miss the main reason for the event. At times, it is so easy to get immersed in all of the planning that we perceive as important, that the main purpose gets overshadowed in the process. Occasionally, we also tend to push ourselves to the point of exhaustion, which can so easily diminish the joy of the celebration.
May the Lord help all of us this Advent season to guard and protect our hearts so that we do not miss this grand and very important celebration.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!
In His love,
Mrs. Palka