"Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life." Simon Weil
“Whhhhy are we waaaaiting? We are suffocaaaating!” It’s a little dark, morbid even, when typed but when heard it’s a sing song chant, one I tunelessly squawked in every patience requiring moment of my childhood- do you recognise it?
I have a little ball of impatience tucked away in my tummy even now, that sometimes grows as I wait in queues, in jams, for someone, for something. I don’t yell annoying songs any more but tap my toe, bite my nails, roll my eyes- I huff and I puff.
We are all about this moment, right here, right now, instant gratification- even McDonalds the creator of fast food has an express lane now! And I am sucked in to believing that waiting is wasting.
Well this year, I’m going to choose to wait- a subversive, anarchic response to this culture that begs me to click my fingers and get my needs met.
I’m not going to wait like I wait for my computer to boot up, a passive observer of the flickering lights. I’m going to wait like a back aching pregnant mother- gently but actively getting ready for the burst of new life soon to come.
I wait to try to understand how the old-skool Israelites felt waiting for The Messiah for years. And years. And years. Donkeys years.
I wait to try and remember how I felt when I was first Captivated by Jesus- when I sensed my need for Him like I sensed hunger for food.
I wait to try and re-notice the ginormous, yawning, groaning need for Jesus on earth in the lives of people, the structures of society, the relationships…
I wait to try and re-gather the excitement of working hand in hand with the Jesus, for there is just simply no need to be slogging away on the injustice of earth without Him.
Ripen me God, like a rock hard, sour kiwi fruit sitting in a bowl.
I have a little ball of impatience tucked away in my tummy even now, that sometimes grows as I wait in queues, in jams, for someone, for something. I don’t yell annoying songs any more but tap my toe, bite my nails, roll my eyes- I huff and I puff.
We are all about this moment, right here, right now, instant gratification- even McDonalds the creator of fast food has an express lane now! And I am sucked in to believing that waiting is wasting.
Well this year, I’m going to choose to wait- a subversive, anarchic response to this culture that begs me to click my fingers and get my needs met.
I’m not going to wait like I wait for my computer to boot up, a passive observer of the flickering lights. I’m going to wait like a back aching pregnant mother- gently but actively getting ready for the burst of new life soon to come.
I wait to try to understand how the old-skool Israelites felt waiting for The Messiah for years. And years. And years. Donkeys years.
I wait to try and remember how I felt when I was first Captivated by Jesus- when I sensed my need for Him like I sensed hunger for food.
I wait to try and re-notice the ginormous, yawning, groaning need for Jesus on earth in the lives of people, the structures of society, the relationships…
I wait to try and re-gather the excitement of working hand in hand with the Jesus, for there is just simply no need to be slogging away on the injustice of earth without Him.
Ripen me God, like a rock hard, sour kiwi fruit sitting in a bowl.
Marinate me God, make my mind tender like a steak in a sweet concoction.
