“When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son….” Gal. 4:4
“God comes to us like the sun in the morning…when it is time. We must assume an attitude of waiting, accepting the fact that we are creatures and not the creator. We must do this because it is not our right to do anything else. The initiative is God’s, not ours. We are able to initiate nothing; we are only able to accept.” —Carlo Caretto
Are these difficult words to read? In a culture preoccupied with control, waiting on God is a radical attitude toward life. In every other area of our life we are told, even encouraged to “take charge!” Make something, anything, happen! To not to implies an ineptness or weakness. Yet the scriptural mandate would be to wait open-endedly, allowing God to define our lives in ways far beyond our imagination. Talk about radical!
Yet once we realize we cannot control, manipulate or manage spiritual reality; once we realize the spiritual life begins, depends, and ends with God; once we realize we respond to God only because he has first drawn us…are we willing to release control of our carefully constructed lives and receive the life Jesus died to give us.
Christmas reminds us…God is more interested in relationship with us than we are with him…and he takes the first step to make it possible.
Gail Johnsen 