Advent is a time of quiet waiting. And yet ironically it can be one of the busiest, noisiest and most stressful times of year.
Jesus often found himself extremely busy and among noisy crowds. A lot of the time there wasn't much he could do about this. But he did find ways of slipping off for some quiet time on his own nevertheless.
Amidst the busyness and noise that will be the reality for you this Advent, is there a way of preserving some stillness for yourself? Is there a way that you can have some quiet time to yourself early in the morning or late in the evening? Or is there a way you can find a few minutes to yourself during the day? Every day may be completely different for you at the moment, especially the further into December we go, but every day there is likely to be an opportunity for some silence and stillness if you look for it and make use of it.
Are there some little things that you can do for yourself over Advent to quieten down and slow down; things that you do have more control over. Maybe you feel able to switch off some notifications or have less screen time just over these few weeks?
Creating moments of stillness in our lives is important all year round. It's even more appropriate and needed during the season of Advent, both for our own well-being during this season that many find busy and stressful, and so that we can be more open to God during this special period of quiet attentiveness.