Tuesday 22 December 2020

Waiting

 

“Are we there yet?” 

I am sure a lot of parents have heard this question from their little people on the back seat. Maybe in combination with a ‘Mumm he is annoying me…”

 

Waiting, and having patience is something we have to learn, it doesn’t come easy. It takes practice. In our western culture, where we look for more efficiency, where we often hurry to get on to the next task, waiting is a nuisance. It slows us down in our effort to achieve life. We have people to see and things to do. We want to make things happen, not wait and waste time.

 

Christmas is only a few more sleeps. The time for ‘waiting’ is almost over. Children everywhere are anxiously awaiting the time where they may open their presents. The adults look forward to good food, maybe a few drinks, and catching up with friends and relatives and spending quality time in the park or on the beach. Well that is for us in the Southern Hemisphere! I suppose those in the Northern Hemisphere will sit close to the heater and play board-games!

 

Waiting. People do not like waiting. However, we practice this regularly. Waiting in line, in traffic; waiting for other people to answer our emails or phone calls, or even waiting for our children to finish their sports training. 

 

Waiting for the results of the latest blood test or ultra-scan. Waiting for a baby to be born, a person to retire or even to die. This form of waiting has a variety of emotions attached to it. Eagerly awaiting, with anticipation of what is to come.

Often it is not so much the time spent waiting; it is the uncertainty that plays on our mind. 

 

Waiting is about patience and trust. We know that if we wait, the light will turn green again, and we get our turn. The queue at the supermarket will eventually disappear. With patience, certain things will resolve themselves.

While waiting for the test results and the subsequent treatment requires trust. Trust in the doctors and other medical staff to help our bodies heal. The longer we have to wait, the more uncertainty can play on our mind. Our mind hate uncertainty; it becomes restless and creates more suffering by going round and round in circles and playing every ‘what if?’ Scenario under the sun. Centering prayer and mindfulness are helpful tools to combat this situation.

 

In this season of Advent, where Christians wait with expectation on the arrival of baby Jesus, is a time for each individual to ponder upon some questions. The medieval mystic Meister Eckhart writes: “We are all meant to give birth to God”. I have to work out how do I give birth to Christ within me?” What is my role in the world of social justice?

Waiting and wondering does not have to be lost time. Waiting can be a powerful tool to create the life we want. In this age of ‘instant gratification’ time out is a useful way to reassess what we need and how we can assist those around us. 

 

Buddhism teaches us to be mindful; to stay in the moment and to slow down. Buddhism teaches us that by being present, we minimize the suffering, rather than trying to bliss out or cover-up. 

 

The link between ‘Christianity’ and ‘Buddhist’ waiting lies in the shared notion of ‘letting go’. Unfortunately, Christianity is more concerned with ‘saving souls’ rather than with letting go, as Richard Rohr suggests in The Art of Letting Go. 

 

For me, Advent is not an empty waiting. I am invited to examine my way of life, how to be the best version of me and to be Christ in other people’s lives, as well as being Christ for others. 

       

         


Seek Peace. Find it within.

 

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