How good are you at waiting? At patience? We did a lot of waiting this week. First, when the whole storm was forecast - we waited to see if it would really hit? Then we waited to see if there would be the longed for "snow day". We waited for the plows to come. By Thursday we waited to bust out of our houses and get back into the regular pace of life.
I read this quote today that gave me to have a new perspective on waiting:
"A waiting person is a patient person. The word 'patience' implies the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Impatient people expect the real thing to happen somewhere else, and therefore they want to get away from the present situation and go elsewhere. For them, the moment is empty. But patient people dare to stay where they are, waiting." - Henri Nouwen
I never thought about the patient person as a daring person before, and I kind of like that. How daring are you?
The Advent season is all about waiting. In worship, we are waiting for the promised Christ Child to arrive in our midst. In our homes, we are waiting to blow the wrapping off of those presents that are tucked under the tree. In our lives, we are hoping for the next great event or relationship or opportunity. But how content are we with what's happening right now? How present are we in the present? How might we give our presence to the moment we are in right now?
Pastor Sara
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