Slow Down… Waiting
“When I am told that waiting seems to belong to the heart of the spiritual life, I’m not pleased, for I want answers, direction, clarity—and I want them pronto.”—Robert Barron, “What Are You Waiting For,” in U.S. Catholic, Dec 2003.
Langley Abbey Lane
Barron starts with that old joke about the pilot, who announces he has good and bad news. “The bad news is we are totally lost. The good news is we are making excellent time!”
My experience is that spiritual friends initially come to talk because they are consciously or unconsciously in some kind of pain and, like the rest of us, seek relief and answers, hopefully very soon. We soon remember times of awareness of staying connected to God, which required much waiting.
“Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31-1) This verse is known to most people and can help us remember about waiting when we are impatient. We will experience times when we will fly and walk and not be tired, but waiting is still a significant part of our relationship with God and each other. 12-step groups talk about not leaving before the miracle happens.
I have learned a few exercises about waiting as a physician. I would often go to meetings or have patients or other doctors who would keep me waiting. I would have those tremendous ego experiences of “I am very important. You should not keep me waiting. Don’t you know how valuable my time is?” When overcome with these thoughts, I end up mad, arrogant, and testy when the person or group finally comes. This is never helpful for the interaction.
Gradually, by some miracle, I realize that waiting is an opportunity to pray for that person or group before we meet, or it is an opportunity to meditate and calm my soul before the meeting. Waiting becomes a gift from that person, making all the difference in my relationship with those I meet. The same is true about waiting for God.
Goodness knows God spends a great deal of time waiting for us.
Of course, centering prayer, meditation, contemplation, and Lectio Divina are also more exercises about waiting.
Spiritual writer Michael Vinson suggests a waiting exercise of remembering times in our lives when we wait and the miracle comes. For example, perhaps we wait before talking to someone about a situation until we hear the entire story.
Another spiritual writer, Jane Wolfe, responds to Michael in his blog that God will always give us a nudge when it is time to respond and act after we wait.
Jane reminds us of Mary giving Jesus that nudge at the wedding at Cana when it was now time for him to do something!
“Sit and Wait,” Friday Food, jmichaelvinson.com, February 24, 2017.
Joanna joannaseibert.com https://www.joannaseibert.com/