​☕️ The Real Danger of December: Dodging the Complacency Trap

If you're anything like me—a secondary school teacher, juggling marking deadlines with the domestic chaos of teenagers, and trying to be a half-decent husband—the idea of Advent feels less like a peaceful retreat and more like the final, frantic sprint before Christmas break.

The wisdom we find in today's Gospel (Matthew 24) doesn't just ask us to slow down; it issues a far more urgent, bracing warning.

Jesus doesn't warn us about outright evil; he warns us about the Lethal Comfort of the Normal.

He says his coming will be like the days of Noah. People were "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage..." They were getting on with the perfectly ordinary business of life.

They weren't bad; they were just unaware—so absorbed in the routine that they missed the monumental change coming their way.

The core instruction is this: Stay awake so that you may be ready.

This isn't about cosmic panic; it’s about recognizing the complacency trap that sneaks up on us in the everyday grind. Here’s how we, as parents and partners and workers can stay awake this Advent.

1. The Worker:

Escape the Autopilot

As a teacher, my trap is the marking pile—it's easy to stop seeing the work and just start processing the paper, sinking into an administrative trance. For you, the Autopilot Trance might be different: it could be the endless inbox, the repetitive task you have to do, the daily spreadsheet updates, or the customer service script.

Work, regardless of the job title, is a routine built on repetition. It’s easy to slip into complacency—running the same script and moving through the workday just waiting for the clock to hit home time.

The Trap

It's the moment you stop asking "How can I do this better?" and settle for "How can I get this finished?" You start operating on "well enough" instead of "excellence," and the spark that inspired you to do the job fades into the daily drone. You become one of the "unaware," physically present in the field but mentally checked out.

So what do we do?

Inject Intentionality. This week, choose one task you usually rush through (like writing a report, serving a customer, or tidying your workspace) and commit to giving it your full, undivided attention.

Do it with excellence, not just compliance.

When you refuse to be complacent about your work, you restore its meaning and stay awake to the value you bring to the table

2. The Father of Teens:

Cutting Through the Silence

As a dad, especially of teenagers, life can feel like a series of transactional questions about logistics: "Need a lift?" "Have you eaten?" "When are you home?" You’re constantly navigating the experience of life as seen by someone who's life is so different to yours, and your experience of being that age!

It’s easy to settle for the complacent pattern of logistical management rather than relationship building.

The Trap:

You believe you are connecting simply because you are in the same house. You take the relationship for granted, assuming all is well because the surface is calm. This is the silent drift where you live parallel lives, and you become unaware of the real turbulence or significant changes happening beneath the surface of their world.

So what can we do?

Demand Real Presence. Put your phone in another room for 15 minutes.

Deliberately interrupt their silence by entering their world.

Ask a specific, non-judgmental question about something they care deeply about—a game, a complex friendship dynamic, a strange meme. Don't just manage the teens; actively observe and listen.

The time you have is short; don't let it be swept away in a flood of domestic routine.

3. The Partner :

Refusing the Subtle Drift

The greatest danger to a long marriage isn't a massive crisis;

it's the slow, quiet erosion caused by complacency. We stop dating our spouse and start treating them like a reliable fixture—always there, but rarely genuinely noticed or delighted.

The Trap:

Assuming everything’s fine because there haven't been any big rows recently. We give our best energy to our jobs, the children, and bug events in life, and our partner gets the exhausted, grumpy leftovers. We become the couple "grinding at the mill" together, but totally isolated in our own worlds.

So what can we do?

Stay Awake!

Interrupt the Pattern.

Don't wait for a huge argument or an anniversary.

This week, commit to one small, specific act that breaks the expected routine—the moment of genuine vulnerability, the unprompted act of service (like fixing something that's been broken for weeks), or taking five minutes to share a worry you've been holding back.

Refuse to let familiarity dull the spark of genuine presence and mutual care.

So What's today's message?

Keep Your Head Up

The biggest risk this Advent isn't that you'll be too busy; it's that you'll be too asleep—too comfortable in your well-worn path.

Advent is the call to wake up to the present moment, break the trance of the normal, and realize that the extraordinary hope we are waiting for is found right here, right now, in the middle of our marking piles, our teenage silences, and our living room routines.

Don't wait to be ready. Be ready now.

What small, normal routine will you interrupt today to truly stay awake?