But, How?

Luke 1:26-38

Today was the last day of school for this year. The end of the first semester is now official and the beginning of our winter break begins.

YAY!

It was an interesting day, which came at the end of an interesting week. Our high school has a finals week, much like a college would. We schedule only a few classes each day - 2 or 3 - and the kids can go home once they're done with their testing. This leaves a lot of time for any students to catch up with work they might be missing or redo work that is sub-par in order to bring their grades up. It also gives the teachers time to correct the piles of work that have been building up over the past few weeks.

I have to be honest and say we had fewer students who took advantage of this extra time to get themselves out of the bottom tier of grades than I would have liked to see. However, we also had students who didn't take advantage of the time given who, if they had come in, could have come through with a passing grade. Those who did make the effort were rewarded.

One of the students who did come in brought himself out of an F grade and into a D. I know, it's not much to cheer about, but given how much work this student had to do and how much determination it took to get him there, I have to say it was amazing. So much so, that when we were verifying grades today the teacher actually cheered out loud when that D was announced.

Sort of how I think Mary cried out, "But how can this happen?" to the angel who visited her. I think that her exclamation/question is at once wonder and awe that she, of all the women in Jerusalem, would be the one chosen to carry the Christ-child. I also believe that it's because of her dedication and perseverance that God chose her in the first place.

We, too, are chosen by God to show that same diligence and determination to develop the gifts he has given us. Our task, and I'm not only talking about Christians, but all of humanity, is to be caretakers of those gifts and to develop them in such a way as so when it's time, when God sends us out to do the work, we are ready. We are ready to make the lives of those around better.

Advent has been that journey for me. It's been a time of discerning what path God is showing me to prepare my gifts for and to know that I am the one whom is being sent to shine the love of God for everyone around me. It has truly been a time to open myself up more completely to let the love of God pour out so that through it hope, peace, and joy can be found.