Waiting is Active
“Most of us think of waiting as something very passive, a hopeless state determined by events totally out of our hands.
The bus is late? You cannot do anything about it, so you have to sit there and just wait.
It’s not difficult to understand the irritation people feel when somebody says, “Just wait.”…
But there is none of this passivity in scripture. Those who are waiting are waiting very actively. They know that what they are waiting for is growing from the ground on which they are standing.
That’s the secret
The secret of waiting is the faith that the seed has been planted, that something has begun. Active waiting means to be present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening where you are and that you want to be present to it. A waiting person is someone who is present to the moment, who believes that this moment is the moment.”
Reflection
My dear friend, Terri (who passed away several years ago), used to always say “look at your feet” to remind me to just be in the present, right where I was at the moment.
Stop right now and look at your feet!
Seriously. Do it!
Now, remember that God is with you right where you are at this moment. And since He is with you, the ground upon which you stand is “holy ground.”
Allow yourself a moment of deep personal worship. Perhaps, say the words to this vintage worship tune as you acknowledge His Presence with you and in You.
This is holy ground.
I’m standing on holy ground.
For the LORD is present
And where He is, is Holy*
Close your time with a prayer of thanksgiving for these few moments in God’s holy Presence.
(*lyrics by Chris Beatty)
[excerpted from A Spirituality of Waiting by Henri Nouwen]
Henri J.M. Nouwen was a Dutch-born Catholic priest, professor, pastor, and author of thirty-nine books on the spiritual life.
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