A priest, a doctor and an engineer were impatiently waiting behind a slow group of golfers. They complained to the golf course manager. He replied, “Oh, that’s a group of blind fire fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime. But I’m so sorry for your delay.” The priest spoke up, “That’s so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight.” The doctor said, “Good idea. And I’ll contact my ophthalmologist buddy to see if he can help.” And the engineer said: “We don’t mind waiting… let’s treat them to drinks at the clubhouse.” What a difference certain words can make! Suddenly these guys have a context for their waiting. What was meaningless waiting was now full of meaning. And that is how our waiting on God can be - full of meaning and significance. Isaiah says, “A voice cries out: …. make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” Did you realize that God’s power and presence is going to arrive in the midst of our own desert—the parts of us that we think of as sinful wasteland? But only if we honestly face the worst of what we know about ourselves, and really desire forgiveness and a “new way” through the desert, will that new way be built.

Let’s use this Advent to increasingly face who we really are, and then honestly ask for forgiveness, so that we are building a highway for God to come on a straight path right to us!