Don’t Mind Me and My Little Panic Attack

Did you know the sound of a cat puking doubles as an alarm? Thanks, Princess Pukes-a-Lot for the timely hairball at 7:30 so I could jump out of bed and make it to 8 a.m. church! So fitting that my column for the church bulletin today was a little about panic attacks...

Don’t Mind Me and My Little Panic Attack

Ever exit the shopping mall out a different door than you entered and wonder “Where’s my car?!” Your heart races and your temperature rises as the little panic cells race through your body at lightning speed. Even when you realize you’re supposed to be in Lot A, not Lot B, it still takes awhile for your body to come down from that adrenaline high.

That happened to me last Sunday. I walked into the sanctuary and said, “Where’s my pew?!” Thanks to the construction of a platform for the new sound system, the two back pews on the right (including MY pew) were removed to make room. No one asked me! Now where am I supposed to sit?

I literally calmed myself down by walking back out to the gathering area and re-entering with some deep breathing exercises and a new mindset. And sat down… in the back on the left side. There’s always a solution if we open our eyes, right?

Seriously, it’s no fun when something or someone messes with our routine. Depends how rigid we are with life (including seating arrangements at church), they can really throw us for a loop.

But nothing compared to what Mary experienced.

Imagine going to bed after chilling out with your middle school friends one night and by morning, you’ve been visited by an angel and told you were about to personally deliver the son of God. Uhm… what?! Pretty sure teen pregnancy was not glorified with popular reality TV shows back then. Also pretty sure she was beyond scared. And definitely felt all those panic cells racing through her veins at warp speed – or top camel speed.

I confess I haven’t thought of Mary enough when it comes to observing Advent amidst the holiday hustle and bustle. But Mary is a huge part of the story. God handpicked this girl – probably only a 6th or 7th grader – to facilitate His transformation to human form. And I don’t think for a minute, it was easy.

If you get a chance this season, listen to the song, “Mary, Did You Know?” and put yourself in her shoes. Think of the sheer magnitude of the task before her. You might realize some things aren’t worth pressing the panic button over.

I’ll just sit here in my new spot and ponder that.