This time of year seems to be a season of expectancy. And
I don't just say that from the perspective of it being 7 weeks until our baby is
due. Everybody seems to be starting to prepare and look forward to Christmas
already, including myself. In years gone by it has seemed like a faux pas to
start planning and preparing much in November, but this year, it just seems
sensible. And not only that, it seems like 'everyone is doing it'.
I don't know if this is a rural thing or maybe it's just
that I'm spending less time with people my own age. Is it just students and
people in their 20s who are more prone to do everything last minute and, quite
probably, in the middle of the night?
I was both alarmed and, I'll admit, quite impressed, to
discover that my husband has already bought me all my Christmas presents. Slightly concerned that I only just managed to
scrape him together a couple of birthday presents, and they were late...
But I will say this, I have been getting prepared for the
baby. Buying, collating, washing, reading, practising breathing techniques,
organising people to cover my absence. I keep hearing stories of babies that
have arrived significantly early and getting the feeling that I have to be
ready for the baby to turn up any second. At least we know for sure when
Christmas will happen!
Chances are, of course, that I'll still be twiddling my
thumbs over the bump in January, but I am trying to be ready in case.
And that, perhaps is the problem. In seasons of
expectation, our reaction is to try and get 'ready'. But is anybody ever
properly ready for their first child? I've read so much information in the last
couple of months and still keep coming up with more and more questions. They are
small things, practicalities mostly, and I expect it will all become clear as
it happens, but the fact is, no matter how well prepared we are, we have to
keep learning as we go along.
I talked a bit on Sunday about trusting God in our blind
vulnerability. We can never know fully what God is up to and where His plans
are taking us. There is always an element of the unknown when we work with God.
At a ministers' meeting recently we mused over how God seems to often use the
things we do unintentionally much more than He uses the things we do
intentionally! Offhand comments have changed lives. Sermons that went awry have
often made the biggest impact.
So perhaps we shouldn't set so much store in preparation.
Yes, be responsible, prayerfully make preparations that are necessary, but
don't put too much value on feeling 'ready'. God will lead the unfolding of
events and sometimes, no amount of work will prepare you for what is to come. And that's okay. Because wherever it is He takes you, He won't abandon you when you get there!
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