Advent Amidst Agitation (Advent #2)

A Call For Attentiveness

For me distraction feels like I am being pulled apart. A million things going on in my head hindering my ability to focus, gain clarity, or get work done. Do you ever feel that way? Visiting the AGO this week I came across a wonderful piece that resonates with my inner state of mind:

I’m not sure of the title for the work but for now I’ll call it “AGITATION.”

Most likely not the artist’s intention but it captures my own frame of mind during this hectic time of Advent. A season of busyness, activity, and constant motion. Not so much one of tranquility, equilibrium, and rest.

So here are a few questions I ask myself in the month of December: “Can I hear the quiet voice of Advent amidst the state of my interior distraction? Can the littleness of Advent penetrate my hard heart? Can the Spirit’s gentle whispers settle my anxious spirit?”

Returning to the painting (and looking deeper into my heart) I ask a few more questions: Can I see the beauty within its chaos? The glory of a new born child within its terror? The Creator’s discreet visitation within a topsy turvy world? Can I discern a ray of hope within a world that looks for grandiose signs of power and import? Perhaps the prophet from Daybreak points us in the right direction when he observes,

The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention. The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises. (Henri Nouwen, Gracias! A Latin American Journal)

When I see life through this lens my heart is less anxious and more restful, less frantic and more serene, less turbulent and more peaceful. I pray that the tiny (and mundane) graces of Advent may be sufficient to calm our weary souls this Christmastime.