Advent Reflections

Christmas is coming, and I can't believe how fast! I feel like I just got here, there is no way the time is flying this fast. When the temperatures feel more like October than mid-December, it makes it extra hard to believe Christmas is only 9 days away.

I really love Advent and I've never really appreciated it so much until this year. I'm appreciating it so much thanks in part to a little book of daily Advent readings and reflections that we were all given a few weeks ago. Everyday has a little reading and reflection on Scripture and then poses a question or topic for you to reflect on. It's been really nice sitting with this book and actually writing out my reflections in my journal.

These little reflections have really been so insightful for me, I wanted to share a few of them here. I'll do one of my favorites today, and maybe a couple more next week.

• What issues and concerns most test your patience? Reconsider how you respond and how you view the situation in question.

I have been struggling with my ministries recently, in different ways. I'm not a teacher, that's not what I studied in school, so I've found it really hard to hit a rhythm as a teacher with the refugees. I find myself really losing patience some days and getting frustrated.

But then I have moments where I can see them getting it. Or I have a situation like I did on Tuesday this week when I asked my class "How are you today?" I had one woman say, with the biggest smile "I am happy today, I am learning english, and I am reading a book, this makes me happy."

How's that for popping my perspective back into place? Thanks God, message received: be patient and understand how much of a struggle this is for them, way more than it is for you. I'm gifting them with an increased ability to read, speak and understand English. They are gifting me with a complete change on my perspective and a new level of understanding and patience.

At the Kid's Cafe I've found the last couple of weeks to be a real struggle. It's a lot to do with this time of year, that the kids are more amped up and mouthier than ever. My patience has been tested day after day  usually by the same handful of kids. They know how to push people's buttons, and man are they experts at it.

When I find myself ready to snap, I try to stop and remember what these kids are coming from, and it brings my frustation way down. They aren't mad at me, they don't hate me, I'm just the one they are taking their anger and frustration out on. What they are dealing with is bigger than them being upset with me because I asked them to stop running.

Many of them only know attention as negative, so who cares if I'm yelling or putting them on the time-out bench for the millionth time, I'm paying attention to them. I rejoice in every positive interaction I have with them, because they far outweigh the bad moments. The goal is to turn every would be blow up into a postive moment, we disarm them with kindness. They have no idea how to react. It disfuses their anger and builds on our positive relationship. Again, they are teaching me how to be more patient, and how to analyze the greater picture before I take anything to heart. They remind me that there is always a positive moment to be found in any situation, and each day is a new start.

If I hadn't sat with the reflection book, I really doubt I would have pulled so much positive energy out of the things I've been struggling with. It's a reminder to always think before I respond to any situation, good or bad, and to look at these struggles through the eyes of the other person.

"We do not live in the moment, we live in the next moment...we are in a constant hurry, yet we do not get very far...we are defeated by what is not rather than inspired by what could be."