Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. (Isaiah 40:33a)

At the height of the Christmas shopping season, a young boy was standing at the bottom of a department store escalator, staring intently at the handrail as it moved along and refusing to take his eyes away. A saleswoman asked, "Are you lost?" "Nope," the boy said, "I'm waiting for my chewing gum to come back."

That boy displayed an admirable patience, but most children find it hard to wait for the things they want. And at Christmas time, most children find that their patience totally deserts them! Advent is a time for waiting, and I'm sure that's what many children find most difficult about the holiday season.

"The hardest part is the waiting," most kids would say. "It's having to wait a whole month before getting y…