In the Waiting

In the book of James, it is written, “Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

I remember being in a Sunday morning class sometime back when we were talking about patience. One of my friends said, “I know in my own life, I have to continually remind myself that the time I have here on earth is a gift from God. And the interruptions, the delays, and even the challenges themselves may be a gift. Maybe there is something I am supposed to learn or experience or hear. Maybe there is something I’m supposed to receive. I think about how when I’m late for work and my daughter is tugging on my shirt and I’m trying to get out the door and she wants help tying her shoe. It’s a reminder to look her in the eye one more time and tell her I love her.”

It’s true, sometimes even amidst the biggest challenges in life. I think about a friend who died too young of ovarian cancer. She kept up her spirits so well. I remember her saying, “I didn’t want this. And I don’t believe God gave me this. But in a way, it has been a blessing. Life has become so vibrant and real. Each moment becomes so precious; I appreciate it so much more than I ever did; the laughter of my children, each moment with a friend…”

It makes me wonder, maybe even in this challenge I’m facing right now – maybe there is an opportunity to grow spiritually – or to help someone else.

In his book Reaching Out, Henri Nouwen, writes, “The spiritual life is, first of all, a patient waiting, that is, a waiting in suffering, during which the many experiences of unfulfillment remind us of God’s absence. But it also is a waiting in expectation that allows us to recognize the first signs of the coming of God in the center of our pains… It is the center of our longing for the absent God that we discover his footprints…” 

Let us pray: Loving God, as we long for healing, as we long for reconciliation, as we long for a new day, grant us patience. Help us learn what we need to learn and to give what we need to give and to trust that you are with us, even now. Amen.