The Waiting Season

Waiting has never come easy to me. Maybe that’s why hunting never really appealed to me. But this season I decided to give it a go. And I have to say it has taught me more about Advent than any book or lesson ever has.

Earlier this year, I spent weeks getting ready for deer season.

I scouted the land.

Walked the levee.

Cleared shooting lanes.

Put out feeders and cameras.

And dialed in my dad’s old rifle.

By the time that first morning came, I felt ready. Prepared. Set.

And then…nothing.

Just cold air, quiet woods, and hours of sitting with my own thoughts.

I remember grabbing my coffee, watching the sun rise through the fog, thinking, All this work…just to wait?

But somewhere along the way it hit me: waiting wasn’t the part in the way of the hunt. Waiting was the hunt. The discipline. The focus. The slowing down enough to be fully present.

And that’s Advent.

We spend so much of December rushing—rushing to get gifts, rushing through schedules, rushing to make everything feel “Christmas-y.” But the Church invites us into something wildly different. Something that feels more like the woods at first light than the mall on a Saturday.

Advent is a season of preparation, but not frantic preparation.

It’s scouting the terrain of your heart.

Clearing the brush of distractions.

Opening up the lanes where God’s voice might break through.

Dialing in your soul so you can recognize Christ when He comes close.

That’s why the Church gives us the purple vestments, the stripped-down liturgy, the silence of the Gloria. Not to make things dull — but to help us pay attention.

And just like a hunter waits for that trophy buck, Advent teaches us to wait for Christ with joyful expectation, not boredom.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux once taught: Christ comes to us in three ways:

He came in the flesh. He comes to us now in grace. And He will come again in glory.

Advent invites us to prepare for all three. To remember His birth with gratitude. To welcome Him in the Sacraments with faith. To watch for His return with hope.

So, this year, maybe approach Advent like you approach the woods — alert, steady, and ready.

Scout your heart.

Clear the lanes.

Sit in the silence.

Wait for Him.

Because the Light is coming.

And when He steps into view, you’ll definitely want to be awake.

Join The Light Project this Advent for a Quiet Light with St. Joseph: A devotional art card and podcast series. Visit us online for more information www.wearethelightproject.org/quietlight2025

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Josh Fredieu is a husband and father who’s discovering a growing desire to help people meet Jesus in real, everyday life. He has a heart for encouraging others, opening Scripture in simple and practical ways, and creating honest conversations—whether that’s around the table, at church, or on the “Trailer Parked Theology” podcast he co-hosts with his wife, Kristi.

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