Waiting
From Eternal Seasons by Henri Nouwen
For many people, waiting is a dry desert between where they are and where they want to go. And people do not like such a place. They want to get out of it by doing something.
In our particular historical situation, waiting is even more difficult because we are so fearful. One of the most pervasive emotions in the atmosphere around us is fear. People are afraid — afraid of inner feelings, afraid of other people, and also afraid of the future. Fearful people have a hard time waiting, because when we are afraid we want to get away from where we are. But if we cannot flee, we may fight instead. Many of our destructive acts come from the fear that something harmful will be done to us. And if we take a broader perspective — that not only individuals but whole communities and nations might be afraid of being harmed — we can understand how hard it is to wait and how tempting it is to act. Here are the roots of a “first strike” approach to others. People who live in a world of fear are more likely to make aggressive, hostile, destructive responses than people who are not so frightened. The more afraid we are, the harder waiting becomes. That is why waiting is such an unpopular attitude for many people. . . .
A waiting person is a patient person. The word “patience” means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. Impatient people are always expecting the real thing to happen somewhere else and therefore want to go elsewhere. The moment is empty. But patient people dare to stay where they are. Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Waiting, then, is not passive. It involves nurturing the moment, as a mother nurtures the child that is growing in her womb.
March 7th, 2009 at 2:09 am
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March 23rd, 2009 at 3:48 am
Hi Jason, I’m sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I appreciate your comment and hope you’ll come back often.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Awesome post, i know ill need to be back soon
April 16th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I usually do not comment on blog posts but I found this quite interesting, so here goes. Thanks! Regards, P.
April 16th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Thanks for the complement, James. I hope you will come back often.
April 16th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Thanks for taking the time to comment. It means a lot to me when people leave notes for me. I’m glad you stopped by and hope you’ll come back, P.
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