Don't miss out!

Music festivals are very different from conventional concerts.  For one thing, they typically have multiple stages going simultaneously.  Furthermore, the posted schedule for each individual stage is merely an approximation.  And then there is the fact that there are just so many more bands to see at a festival.  Those bands typically play shorter sets and many of them are much less well-known than bands one would see at a concert.  So then there's the curiosity factor as well.

If I'm really disciplined, I would do my homework ahead of time and familiarize myself with the various bands playing so as to get an idea of who I would like to see during a particular time of day.  Now if the schedules go as planned, then inserting restroom and food breaks would be fairly simple since I would know which bands would be playing when and where.

But at festivals, schedules often do not go exactly as planned.  As mentioned before, they are merely approximations.  The restroom and food places are convenient for setup and takedown and deliveries, etc. but not necessarily for the stage-to-stage route I intend to take at a given time.  Also, since there are a multitude of stages, it's hard to keep track of who's been running behind and by how much.  Rather than assume a certain schedule delay for the next stage, based upon the previous stage I was at, I often just make a beeline to the next stage, foregoing a restroom or food break.  Sometimes it's a wise choice, other times I do end up getting there early.  But, of course, by the time I'm there, I'm not sure if I can backtrack for a restroom or food break and then return in time for the next band's set.

Because these bands are often not as well-known as concert bands, I might not get another chance to see them.  Or, if I do, it may not be worth the trouble at that next opportunity.  In other words, it's a special moment not to be missed for petty things like a restroom or food break.  Those can wait another 20-30 minutes for the end of the set, at which point I would decide how much longer I'm willing to "hold it" or "tough it out."

Some of my gamer friends have similar experiences in playing their video games.  Sometimes they're playing a really good game.  They're just in a zone and they're on a roll.  They could just pause and save but not in a rare and special moment like this.  No way!  Rather than interrupt what they have going with a petty thing like a restroom or food break, they "hold it" and "tough it out" for as long as they feel able - or until the game finally ends.

My gamer friends and I were experiencing our special moments in our own ways.  But nothing we ever experienced was nearly as profound as what the people witnessed when Jesus overcame the impossible to make things right.  Following Him for three days was massively inconvenient for them.  At the end of it there was a lot more at stake than just a bit of discomfort.  There was a very real chance that they might not make the long journey home without the help of the medics - in this case a considerable army of medics.

These followers may not have been "holding it" for any unusually long time but they were certainly "toughing it out" much more than I would at a music festival or my gamer friends would while playing totally epic game.  Jesus did feed the crowd at the end - again overcoming what seemed impossible - but until then these people neither knew nor presumed that they would get a meal out of following Him.  They just sensed something special was happening and absolutely did not want to miss it - even going as far as sacrificing a great deal of comfort without any knowledge of how they were going to get any relief.  They had complete trust in the Lord.

Matthew 15: 29-37

Don't use force, use THE Force

Advent can be a very busy season.  It's a time to buy a multitude of Christmas cards and then send them to people.  It's a time to get gifts for people.  Sometimes it's a time to drop hints to people who will buy gifts for you but don't know what to get (I really don't care - it's more about your PRESENCE than your PRESENTS).  It's also a time for a multitude of Christmas parties and other special events, which makes for an exercise in schedule juggling.

In my case it's a time to blog regularly, which is something I have no reason to believe I am any good at...I have trouble enough keeping in touch with people I used to be close to.  It is also a time for me to finish off my World Youth Day photos, videos, and notes - and then a time to get caught up in all of the photos that have come since August (hiking trips, etc.).  This extra burden related to World Youth Day could have been avoided if I had made World Youth Day stuff a higher priority than the other things I was trying to get done in the autumn.  But then those other things would have been on my Advent docket instead.  (Sigh).  Work has been a bit busy as well.

Perhaps you don't blog, have a World Youth Day backlog, a backlog of other photos, or a lot going on at work, but most likely you have your own things to get done in addition to the usual Advent activities.  Your story may not be the same as mine but you probably have your own story nonetheless.  Advent can be a very overwhelming time if we allow it to be and sometimes we might agonize over decisions about what to do next.  When we have trouble deciding, we delay, which leads to more anxiety.  And then we try to think real hard about it, using logic or whatever.  We overthink it - and that's usually a bad thing.

If it is necessary to decide what to do next, keep it simple - don't analyse it.  Otherwise, if you're busy enough during all your waking hours and then you add more stress by overthinking something simple, you'll start having dreams about everything you're trying to do, and they're generally not good dreams.  Knowing the right thing to do is something that will come to you, not something you will get through your own knowledge and power.  Remember, the disciples were very simple people but they were able to see what prophets and kings could not.  The prophets and kings vainly tried too hard while the disciples humbly left it up to God.  Likewise, we ought to make the potentially overwhelming Advent season a time to accept God's help.  He's offering.

Luke 10: 21-24

Come together

Although World Youth Day took place quite a while ago, I am still in the midst of posting images and words about that experience onto my Facebook page.  Every time I return to that task it is like reliving the memories all over again.  People came from all over.  Many different nations, many different social groups, people in different parts of their faith journey.  But we were all there for the same thing.  The differences between us formed bridges rather than fences - something to be celebrated rather than overcome.  It was both beautiful and surreal.  We really are one body.

Matthew 8: 5-11

A new beginning