Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash
A Reflection from the Fuel Daily Readings App for the First Sunday of Advent. Click here to read the reading.
Occasionally it feels like there are waves of evil that consume our world: wars, natural disasters, tragedies… the list could go on. It’s scary thinking about the future, and what mayhem that man-kind could potentially create; the destruction of relationships, nations and world peace. It’s easy to get weighed down by these thoughts, and consumed within the trap that is the “anxieties of life.”
But that’s not the life Jesus wants us to live- it’s the life that the enemy wants us to live. A life of fear, worry, distrust in others and fading hope in humanity.
We get so overwhelmed with the big, mainstream and overarching issues in this world, that we forget to take a step back and appreciate the significance of the small things in our life… the things that remind us that there is something greater coming: a promise made by our Heavenly Father that the time for redemption is drawing near.
The parable of the fig tree within this particular Gospel further highlights that it is in fact the small things that guide us to the greater truth; the greater victory; the greater life. Tree’s are like the big events of this world- they consume a lot of ground, and are so easily generalised that it’s hard to tell what season it is just by observing from afar. But when we take a closer look, it is through observing the leaves of the tree and their sprouts- the small parts- that reveal to us what season it is, and what season is coming. Similarly, when we focus on Christ alone as the centre of all things- not just the big- and abide by his words of truth and his simple, humble way of life, we will no longer find ourselves distracted and consumed by mainstream events of this world.
Because living a life in fear isn’t the life I want to live. And I don’t believe it’s the life we were created to live. Jesus came as a sign of the goodness that is to come; the salvation that is to come; the redemption that is to come; a life free from fear. That is what is promised to us in the Kingdom of Heaven.
+ Lord, let us always be on the watch for the small signs you reveal to us, and continue to strengthen us so that we may not be overwhelmed by the evils of this world, instead of focusing on the path that will lead us to eternal goodness and joy in Heaven! Amen.