Staying Magnetized for Advent

While learning to make a homemade compass, Claire McGarry discovers how to remain focused on the true reason for the season.

I was never a Girl Scout. So it’s only recently that I learned how to make a compass using a magnet, needle, cork, and a jar of water.

First, you magnetize the needle by rubbing it against the magnet. Second, you push the needle through the cork until both ends of the needle are exposed. Third, you drop the cork and needle into a glass of water. Voila: the needle automatically points north and helps you get to where you need to go.

However, and this is crucial, the needle only stays magnetized for a while. The timeframe ranges from a few minutes to a handful of hours, depending on the strength of the magnet you use. When the magnetism fades, you need to extract the needle and rub it against the magnet again.

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It’s a great metaphor for Advent.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to start out strong every year. I light the candles on my wreath, read my reflection books, and keep all my focus on the true meaning of Christmas. Until I don’t …

Whether it’s all the decorating and festive activities that wear me out, or the excess of sugar cookies and holiday drinks that weigh me down, I lose steam, and I lose direction. I’m like that needle that no longer has the strength to point true north.

But rather than stop, recharge, and reorient myself, I make the unconscious decision to let the tide take me, vowing I’ll do better next year.

Here we are—at next year—and I’m determined to keep my focus on the coming of the Christ Child. I want to prioritize correctly: attending my church’s mid-week candlelit service and carving out time for morning prayer, no matter what.

It’s by extracting ourselves from the chaos and coming into contact with the Source of All that we recharge. That constant reorientation prevents us from losing our way.

As we look to Him, the north star shines brighter, guiding us to the stable where He comes as an innocent baby to save us all.