Why Should We Wait?

‘The meaning is in the waiting.’ (RS Thomas)

Habits of Mind: Managing Impulsivity

Next Sunday is the first Sunday of the Christian season of Advent, a season for reflection and waiting. And it is perhaps within this waiting, as RS Thomas wrote in his poem ‘Kneeling’, that meaning will be found.

However, far from being a time of reflection all too often Advent heralds a time of conspicuous buying and anticipated consumption as we prepare for Christmas whether we are religious or secular.

I won’t pretend that aspects of this are not highly attractive, and it is easy to be swept up in all the glitz of the season, but for many who face economic hardships, a focus on buying and consuming can be an intolerable burden. It can also undermine the very heart of the message of Christmas.

Wealth and the consumption of things are something we all desire and there is no doubt that it is important in order to maintain a standard of living for well-being, but there may be a point at which, far from supporting wellbeing, it may become destructive of it. We may begin to feel that there is no such thing as enough. Our appetites can prove insatiable.

And so even more reason to take stock this Advent of the message revealed in the story of Christmas. It is a remarkable story in which there is a reversal of things we usually value. It is a story in which wisdom is born out of poverty and in humble circumstances. There is no conspicuous wealth, no palace, no regal status. It is a story which challenges every assumption of what we consider to be desirable and valuable. A truly counter-cultural story! 

It does seem ironic therefore that the message of Christmas is too often undermined in the way it is celebrated. However, alongside this is the injunction to give, and this is certainly one way that our wealth and influence can be put to good use. And research has discovered that wealth can indeed bring happiness, provided you use it to better the lives of others…just like Scrooge!

We all need to hear the hopeful message of Christmas, however, we can first take stock during Advent and learn about the true message of Christmas in anticipation and through the waiting.  

Christine Crossley.