How about you? You too?
No wonder concepts like rest, the Sabbath, and even something on the liturgical calendar like Advent barely gets our attention.
I mean, really, who has the time? I will keep this short because, in this season of preparation, you likely feel the pressure of the lack of time.
Consider this idea from Wayne Muller.
If we do not allow for a rhythm of rest in our overly busy lives, illness becomes our Sabbath- our pneumonia, our cancer,our heart attack, our accidents create Sabbath for us.
Wayne Muller, Sabbath
I have had my share of resting and waiting imposed on me. I don’t think God does this to me, but I think these are opportunities to live in reality and not the fantasy that I can operate in my kingdom of ego, desire, and ambition without tearing apart at the seams.
Waiting provides a little time for the jagged edges of life to realign. Never closing the gap but at least revealing some pattern to the warp and woof of life. More and more, the waiting times are not about passively standing by but rather about the active conviction that something is happening right where I am now and that I want to be present for it.
A waiting person is someone who is present to the moment, who believes that this moment is the moment.
Henri Nouwen
Today enjoy reading and reflecting on waiting from Henri Nouwen.
What are you learning about waiting?
In 2020, while awaiting direction from the Lord for a new leader, I did an in-depth study on waiting and discovered that we should wait expectantly (anticipating an answer from the Lord), confidently (being assured that He will act) and with hope (knowing that God cares and will accomplish His good purposes). The other powerful lesson is that it is normal and good for God’s people to wait.