The Advent Sermon I Want To Hear

Hello dear readers.
This would probably work for any of the big days of the liturgical calendar, but it seems appropriate here.

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A time comes in your life when you finally get it. When in the midst of all your fears and the insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out "ENOUGH!" Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on. And like a child quieting down after a tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at the world with new eyes.

This is your awakening. You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change; or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that there is no Prince Charming and you are not Cinderella and that in the real world there aren't always fairytale endings (or beginnings for that matter). And any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you. In the process a sense of serenity is born.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who and what you are; and that's OK. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will be there for you and that it's not always about you.

And you begin to sift through all the trash you've been fed about how you should look and how much you should weigh. What you should wear and where you should shop. Where you should go to school or what you should do for a living. Who you should choose for your friends. Who you should marry and what you should expect of a marriage. Those ideas about the importance of having and raising children or what you owe to your parents.

You learn that it is truly in giving that you receive the most. And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a consumer looking for your next fix. You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn that you don't know everything and it's not your job to save the world. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. Romantic love and familial love and worldly love; how to love, how much to give in love and when to stop giving or walk away. You learn to look at things as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn that just as people grow and change so it is with love. You learn that you don't have the right to demand love just to make you happy.

You look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that you will never be a perfect 10; nobody is, not even those airbrushed models. And you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how you stack up. You learn that your body really is a temple and you begin to care for it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water and taking more time to exercise. You learn that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear. So you take more time to rest. And you learn that just as food feeds the body, laughter feeds the soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play. You learn that for the most part, in life, you get what you believe you deserve and that much of life truly is a self-
fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different from working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's ok to risk asking for help. You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn't always fair; you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to good people.

On these occasions you learn not to personalize things. You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers, it's just life happening. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we often take for granted; a full refrigerator , clean running water, a warm bed, a long hot shower.

Slowly you begin to take responsibility for yourself, by yourself and to make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart's desire.

Put up a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind. Make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility. Finally, with courage in your heart and with faith by your side you can take a stand, take a deep breath and begin to design the life you want to live as best you can.

So, don't just wake up. Experience the awakening.