Walking with God… A Reflection for 12/3/19:
I remember the light posts running
on the sidewalks down College Avenue dimly lighting the path at 5:00am as I
walked toward the dining hall on the south side of campus only able to hear the
crunching of the fresh snow beneath my feet.
I remember the wind blowing through the bare trees and thinking, I
seriously must be the only person awake on campus right now and feeling like I
was the only person in the world walking along, quietly, talking to God. I remember this as if it were just this
morning because truthfully, it was the closest, and most vulnerable I have felt
in the presence of God just walking and talking as if we were old friends,
heading to a campus job. Simple.
Simple, yet so difficult: Why is it that prayer seems so difficult at
times? The event that I just described to
you described every Tuesday morning in the fall of my freshman year at
Blackburn College. As a campus job
filling time between classes and football practice, I worked in the dining hall
the majority of the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner prep) each Tuesday. These days began a little before 5 in the
morning and living on campus in the northern hall, I walked the length of
campus to get to work. I’m not sure how,
or when it began but one day I just began to literally talk to God, not so much
in prayer, but as if he were walking right next to me. This was still the closest I ever felt to
God, walking in the quiet of dawn, discussing events of the day or week in
conversation. Though I have tried, I
have never felt quite the same feeling since.
The season of Advent is purposed not
only for the preparation of Christmas, Christ’s birth, but as a time to draw
closer to Him through prayer. Advent
allows us to strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly King, and to remind
ourselves of why we believe what we believe in the first place. Simple, yet still difficult. In a time that is devoted to Black Friday,
Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, deals and sales, shopping and
festivities, we often find it difficult to make time to walk and talk with
God. Are all these things a barrier
which keeps us from the purpose of Advent or, better yet, are we using them as
barriers in order to not spend the time to talk with Him? Perhaps the reason I cannot rekindle that feeling
I had during the fall semester over 25 years ago is because I haven’t made the
effort to do so.
We pray for peace yet cannot bring
peace to ourselves. We pray for forgiveness
yet often, fail to forgive others. We
pray for more yet give less. We pray
that God listens to us yet often, we fail to listen to Him. Why is it so difficult? Obviously, there are many reasons and answers
to this last question however, what if we tried this: This Advent season, just take a walk, alone,
with God…and see what happens. As we
prepare for the Holy Christmas Season, may God bless and keep you and may your
relationship with Christ be a reflection of the beauty it was meant to be. Amen.
Mr.
Swann/Principal