+ I have no idea what to get him, and I need to find the perfect gift!
+ How did I manage to spill half a carton of orange juice on ALL of my wrapping paper?
+ Could Father have prepared a slightly shorter homily today so I could get home sooner to prepare my signature Christmas tacos? I'm running out of time before the party!
+ Seriously?! Why is the line at the post office soooo long?
+ This is the fourth red light I've hit in a row today! You've got to be kidding me!
Haha. Any of those sound familiar? Hopefully they do. Otherwise, you have probably mastered inner peace and should have written this post instead of me.
I find it difficult to remain at peace in day to day life, much less in the crazy preparation of Christmas gifts, cards, parties, decorating and more! But how much more beautiful a season would this be if I were to take a breath, and choose to quiet my heart?
That's not to say that "taking a breath and choosing to quiet my heart" means that suddenly my to do list will complete itself or that I will calmly complete all of my tasks effortlessly and without frustration.
But it does mean, that I can change how I react to the annoyances that pop up this season.
Annie's gift is still en route from Bangladesh and will not arrive in time? Ok. Deep breath. Here you go Jesus. I'm moving on.
That's the reaction I'm aiming for this Advent.
Why did I get here?
All of these thoughts stemmed from today's second reading from 2nd Peter.
At the very end of this reading that discusses Christ's second coming, we hear "Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace."
That really hit home. Not only am I supposed to be working on myself, preparing myself for Christ's coming (both at Christmas and at the end of time) so that I can be blemish-free (or at least mostly blemish-free, thank you God for purgatory), I AM SUPPOSED TO BE AT PEACE.
Peace is most definitely NOT flowing like a river
Take the Annie's gift is delayed in Bangladesh situation for example. I could curse and mutter under my breath at Amazon. I could let it ruin my day and probably take it out on the next person I talk to by being in a bad mood while interacting with them. Honestly, those are probably my go to reactions when something goes wrong. And those reactions aren't necessarily sinful in themselves. But, they affect my day, my mood, my outlook on life. They don't bring me closer to a place of inner peace. Instead, I should react calmly: Ok, that's frustrating. Deep breath. Here you go Jesus. I'm moving on. And then, this is key, actually move on. Let it go. Focus on something else.
Now that is a pretty tame, small example of something going wrong in my day. But, I think it is important to realize how we react to the small things. If we can react to small annoyances with peace, what about when a big thing happens? When someone disappoints us in a big way? When we are really, truly hurt or deeply angered? These bigger situations will require more from us than just breathing and moving on, certainly. But perhaps, if we have already established a habit of turning to peace instead of turning to deeper frustration, we will start the healing process sooner and will heal more quickly.
Avoid the easy way out
When something goes wrong, self-pity, resentment and frustration are all easy ways out. But we are not called to live righteous lives riddled with frustration and resentment. We are called to eagerly live our life righteously and without blemish, before Christ, and at peace.
So at the fourth red light, on my way home from an extra long vigil Mass, after buying new wrapping paper to replace the citrus scented ick that I ruined, and mailing a card but no present to Annie, I can close my eyes for a nanosecond, take a deep breath, and say Jesus, I offer this frustrating afternoon to you. Give me a fresh start for the rest of this evening. I want to do your will. I trust you. Amen.
