Waiting & Patience

Today is the Second Thursday of Advent, a good a time as any to think about waiting. My daily prayer the past few months has been for patience, for the ability to wait in hope as I listen and discern. Tough going at times, as I'm the type who likes to know what I'm doing not only in the moment, but for most of the foreseeable moments ahead of me! I've decided that this Advent I'm meant to be present with the waiting, to feel the tension and the promise of "not yet" and to truly trust in God that all will be well.

I use a few daily "e-tools" for prayer & reflection. One is Sr. Joan Chittister's online Psalm Journal. I'm on week 18, which is from Psalm 37 … "The patient shall inherit the land." Her reflection from Day 2 reminds me:

"Don't worry. God's ways are God's ways. … We don't get the right to give up our efforts, but we are told to let go of our anxiety. Put it all down. Be patient. Begin again tomorrow. Every tomorrow of your life."

Another tool is the Daily Dig e-mail from the folks at Bruderhof Communities. Today's "Dig" is from Henri Nowen (one of my "guides" on this journey):

"Waiting is not a very popular attitude. In fact, most people consider waiting a waste of time. Perhaps this is because the culture in which we live is basically saying, "Get going! Do something! Show you are able to make a difference! Don’t just sit there and wait!" For many people, waiting is an awful desert between where they are and where they want to go. And people do not like such a place. They want to get out of it by doing something."

And yet we are often in such a place. I feel as if I'm in such a place, not an awful desert but definitely a place between where I am and where I feel I'm called to be. But the message I'm getting for now is that THIS IS where I'm supposed to be. Waiting. In hope. And prayer. With God.