A Time to Pause, Review and Reflect

Around much of the Christian world, Sunday, December 2 marked the beginning of Advent, a time of preparation. It seems to me that Advent provides all of us with the perfect opportunity to pause, review and reflect.

Taking the opportunity to pause is almost a survival strategy during the hectic and demanding nature of the weeks leading up to Christmas. The hustle and bustle, while enjoyable in small doses, is not a good way to live life everyday. And so we pause. We take a moment, away from the hustle and bustle to re-center ourselves, to remind ourselves that there is more to life than having the latest and greatest things. For some, a pause takes the form of prayer, for some meditation, and for some, a simple opportunity to rest and relax on the couch! Whatever form it takes for you, be sure to find the time to pause.

And once you have paused, and begin to feel centered, it is time to review. Much like a child's letter to Santa, have you been good? Have you done the right thing, the good thing, the hard thing? Or have you, like me, fallen prey to the easy thing, the expedient thing? It happens all too easily and all to frequently. Reviewing the last few days of our lives provides us with the chance to examine our behavior and measure it against what we say we believe. Is our behavior congruent with what we say we believe, or are we guilty of the age old "saying one thing and doing another". Review gives us a chance to put ourselves back on track.

And as we think of getting back on track, we need to reflect on where that track is taking us, and whether or not it continues to be the direction we want to go. Perhaps circumstance or an unexpected experience has left us with the nagging doubt that there is something wrong with the direction we are headed. Reflection provides us with the opportunity to consider where we are going, whether or not we still want to go there, and where else we might, or should go. Are we living our life in a way that is designed to get us where we want to go, helping us to become the person we wish to be?

The Advent Season....certainly a time of preparation and joy, but also a time to pause, review and reflect. Like checking a road map, we can be sure that when we get there, we will be where we want to be!