The children "prepare" during Advent with such a pure and unwavering belief that I often find myself in awe of them: such simplicity, such joy, and such belief in God's promise to return to us again and again.  But here I am, Lord, with all the adult baggage of a mature life. Year after year I prepare for your return. And year after year you are patient with me,"not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance."   You, Lord, also help me to prepare by reminding me of the words of the psalmist and the prophets revealing how I shall live into the belief of your return. Matthew tells us about Jesus' parable of the two sons; the one son says, "No, I will not" to God but later changes his mind and does God's will. The second says "yes" to God, "I go sir," but does not fulfill his promise. Which of the sons am I most like? I suppose, like many, I am a bit of both. Often I say yes, but do not follow up on that promise and often I say no, but eventually come around to God's will. Many times "I delight in the way of your decrees," and often I question my resolve to follow the laws of God.  When Jesus curses the fig tree because it bears no fruit, so I can, with faith, curse that part of myself that bears no fruit. "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,'  it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."  

During this "purple" season of preparation, I pray for God's grace to fill me with the gift of simple, joyful and unwavering faith.  And I am filled with the knowledge that God will grant me all the time I need.