Ever We Wait
The Conundrum of Living Whilst Waiting
We always seem to be waiting for something. Waiting for the best job to materialize. Waiting for the new home to be built. Waiting for an operation to be done with. Waiting for the big deal to close. Waiting for a project to come to fruition. And on and on it goes…
The waiting never ceases, meanwhile we still haven’t begun to live! The elusive art (that is the secret of living) is to know how to live well amidst the waiting. Look around…the fields are sown…the crops are shooting high…now we are invited to enjoy the day while waiting for the bountiful harvest to come forth.
This conundrum of watching with expectation has always existed. It’s not new in our day despite the weight of its heavy hand. The great theologian Karl Barth experienced this persistent tension when he penned,
But to wait is the most profound truth of our normal, everyday life and work, quite apart from being Christians. Every agricultural labourer, every mother, every truly active or suffering person knows the necessity of waiting. . . We must wait, as though there were a God whom, in victory and defeat, in life and in death, we must serve with love and devotion.
The question remains, “How do we live well even as we wait?” How do we enjoy our present day while waiting for the penny to drop? The secret seems to stay in the present moment and not roll around in the past or future. Maybe Jesus was on to something when he encouraged his listeners “to not be anxious about tomorrow for the present day has enough concerns of its own!”
Stay in the moment. . . learn to live in slow time. . .enjoy your day under the sun from the Father of Lights. All we ever really have is the present moment. . .master the moment and you master the art of living well.
Thanks Alan for writing. Staying in the moment is indeed challenging. Be anxious about nothing...That' s the disposition I would love to possess! We do have 'today' we are not given tomorrow so yes, appreciate the NOW!
Cheers,
Lorraine
Well said my friend. It’s a challenge to stop spinning while we’re waiting, isn’t it?
I have a couple of fun songs on our family cd that help me to pull myself back and sit myself down. 1. You Can Only Ride One Horse to the Finish Line. This deals with the temptation to jump from project to project. As one slows down, rather than taking a break I frantically search for something else to keep me occupied as I’m waiting. 2. Wherever You Are…Be There!
I’m not proposing that there is a panacea here, just that frequent reminders help and God is always there to guide and encourage us.