Waiting is a lost virtue. And technology has only contributed to this loss. No need to wait in line to buy movie tickets any longer – buy them online. No need to wait to read the latest issue of a magazine – read it online. These days we can grow impatient when our computers take more than a few seconds to load.
That’s why Advent can serve as a reminder of the holiness of waiting. Faithful hope is a virtue, a grace, even a joy. Many expectant mothers have told me that while they eagerly look forward to the birth of their child, the pregnancy itself is filled with joy. “I’ll miss having my baby inside of me,” one mother said to me. Perhaps Mary felt the same way about Jesus.
Paradoxically, Christian waiting also encourages us to find God in our present – not simply in our future. God is not only coming; God is already here. So while we anticipate the future with hope, we know that living mindfully in the present is a key way to encounter God. Remember that God does not say to Moses in Exodus, “I was” or “I will be.” God says, “I am.” Here and now.
One of the great joys of Christianity, however, is that God always has something good prepared for our future. For the people of Israel it was a messiah. For us now it is greater Intimacy with Christ, who is alive in the Spirit. And for us at the end of our earthly lives, it is eternal life.
Find God today – but wait in hope for a beautiful future.
Source: In All Seasons, For All Reasons page 66.
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