Preparing

Thanksgiving has just past, and the minds of many are turning to Christmas preparations. Gift and guest lists, holiday recipes, cards, letters, shopping, decorating, singing, play practices, and flickering Advent wreath candles suddenly form a large part of our lives. We eagerly anticipate a season of bells, lights, and joyful laughter as the darkest days of winter close in upon us.

What makes a great banquet? Preparation of the tables, food, and drinks. What makes a great party? Preparation of the guest list, food, drinks, music, decorations, and entertainment. What makes a great garden? Preparation of soil and seed. What makes a great student? Preparation for activities, projects, and tests. And the most important question of all: What makes a great saint? Preparation of the soul for the presence of Almighty God.

From our churches we hear the Baptist's cry echoing down twenty centuries of time. "Prepare the way of the Lord," shouts the voice of one crying in the wilderness. But how does a person prepare a soul? It's a little like preparing for anything else. First of all, we make a plan. A successful student arranges time for study and selects material that needs to be learned. A hostess decides on the time of the party and invites the guests. A gardener chooses seeds and marks out the places to plant them. A friend of God sets aside frequent times to communicate with Him in prayer.

After the planning phase, action starts. The successful student obtains an overview of the material and begins reviewing important details, asking possible test questions and answering them. The hostess arranges for the entertainment, cooks the food, and cleans the house. The gardener gets rid of weeds, digs up the soil, fertilizes it, and plants the seeds. The friend of God gets rid of bad habits, then kindly and cheerfully gives service to others.

The different types of preparation all involve getting rid of something, then filling that space with something better. The student overcomes mistaken and fuzzy thinking in order to think clearly about the material. The hostess eliminates trash, dirt, and unwanted items from the party rooms to make a pleasant space for the guests. The gardener pulls out weeds to let the flowers grow. The friend of God replaces useless choices with doing things God's way to make way for the Lord.

We all know what happens when students, hostesses, and gardeners fail to prepare well. It's quite obvious that good preparation is the first step on the road to success. Then why do we so often fail to prepare well? Because we don't have time? If so, then useless activities are the most important kind of trash to throw away. Because we forget? Then we need to make a better plan. Because we lack motivation? Then we need to make a better prayer.

Preparation is difficult. It requires maturity and self-control. It's not the "fun" thing to do. However, the success, well-ordered living, and peace of soul that come from careful preparation are well worth the effort. Let's use this Advent season to prepare ourselves, step by step, for the coming of the Christ.

Mary Sue Laing, M.Ed.
Resource Teacher, St. Ambrose School
newskill7@msn.com

by Mary Sue Laing, M. Ed., New Skill, Inc. Academic Tutor