Ps. 16:8-9: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises! With him, my body rests in safety.”
Have you ever planned a surprise party where the guest of honor didn’t show? My first year in law school, I scheduled a flight back to Indiana for my Christmas break. There was one small problem. I made the first leg of the flight from Minneapolis to Chicago and, thanks to the weather, got stuck. What I didn’t know was that my crazy aunt (my United Methodist minister aunt) had planned a surprise for me at the Ft. Wayne airport. She came, with my mom, to surprise me, dressed as Santa. As they waited, my mom took pictures of my aunt sitting in the airport and surrounded by kids lined up to share their Christmas wishes. I missed it all … the embarrassment of getting off the plane and being greeted by my aunt, the look on my aunt’s face knowing she was getting to her too straight-laced niece, and the joy my mom had in being an accomplice. But even now, years later, I appreciate the love that drove them to such lengths on a cold December evening.
I think God’s love shares similarities with this story. God plans little surprises for us – opportunities we have to interact with the divine – every day. And, the truth is, we miss most of them. We walk through our lives oblivious to the wonder that surrounds us. We take our eyes off the God who is right beside us.
When our attention is pulled in a dozen directions at once, even good things can leave us feeling unsteady. The psalmist offers a simple but grounding practice: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord.” Not occasionally. Not when everything else I need to do is done. But right in the middle of life as it is.
Advent has been training us for this moment. Candle by candle, week by week, we’ve been learning to look for God’s presence. As Christmas approaches, we’re invited to remember that God isn’t waiting at the end of our preparations but stands beside us in them.
Prayer: Steadying God, in these busy and holy days, help me to keep my eyes on you. When I feel pulled in different directions and feel like I’m about to fly apart, remind me that you are near, holding me fast. Amen.
