Actively Waiting

Many of our devotions in recent days have pointed us to God’s goodness “in the land of the living” – in nature, in people, in ourselves. Amen. Amen. Amen.

I recently snapped photos of Payette Lake (see above) as I waited for the fog to lift.

We know ‘thick fog’ days – when it’s hard to see beyond the hour or the day. We know also the days when density subsides, when we begin to see a glimmer of light and hope. We even know days with crystal clear clarity, peace, tranquility, where a path opens to us bidding us ‘dive in’.

Of course we are always waiting. We do the best we can in each moment for the sake of our work, faith community, family and creation. Even when we step forward with confidence, we know not what the future holds – how things will unfold – whether or not our decision will be as life-giving as we’d imagined. We do know this: the future belongs to God. In our waiting, God’s future comes to us – allowing us to see God’s goodness in the land of the living.

So what does it look like to “be strong” and courageous while we wait for the Lord to speak, to guide, to heal, to be revealed anew?

Jesus showed strength in vulnerability – especially as a baby and on the cross. I wonder what vulnerability looks like for us…in how we tend to the powerless and show compassion even in our suffering. Jesus revealed courage by welcoming children, publicly speaking with women and hanging with outcasts, I wonder what courage looks like for us…how we not only welcome but celebrate those who look and act ‘different’.

Somehow, I imagine our faithful waiting as active. To wait for the Lord is to be powerful in vulnerability, to be courageous in our welcome.