“For unto us a child is born, unto 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 freshman’s worst nightmare; this story always comes to my mind as we approach the upcoming “Final Exam Week” for many colleges.
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 her final exam grade to be strong. Midway through the semester, she started accelerating her study habits by attending other professor’s lectures, in hopes that a new prospective would enhance her comprehension of the material. She signed up and participated in numerous study groups and even held a few of her own with various classmates. She located previous lecture course packets that the professor posted online and diligently reviewed them every night.
The night before the big exam, she quarantined herself in her dorm room with a large supply of coffee as she 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 a brief period of time.
When she awoke, immediate panic consumed her entire body as she noticed the sun shining through her window. Frantically, she searched for her phone and 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 the phenomenal intentions and preparations, she had totally missed the event that had generated all of her industrious efforts!
This Advent season, as followers of Jesus, we too need to guard against a similar danger. Advent is the church season of preparing and getting ready to celebrate the birth of Christ, but sometimes, we tend to 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. In addition, there are times that 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 each of us this Advent season to guard and protect our hearts and our schedules so that we do not miss this wonderful and important celebration!
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!
In His Love,
Mrs. Palka