The Sacrament of Waiting

I'm alone in the house today, nursing an eye infection from proofreading maybe too much and rubbing my eye endlessly that it got infected. I feel awful but it won't stop me from writing...advance apologies for the typos. hehe. I remember someone said that you must not let your weaknesses get in the way of what God wants you to do. We all have weaknesses but we must focus on our strengths. And so trusting in grace, I'll try writing again today.

In the last entry, I promised to share something about waiting. (Btw, thanks for waiting : ) As I was looking for an appropriate title, I discovered that a Jesuit priest beat me to it. : ) But, I couldn't have written it any better.  He already said everything I could ever hope to say and more, read it here: http://sonoftheprodigal.blogspot.com/2006/02/sacrament-of-waiting.html

As for me, I am no stranger to waiting. Today, I prepared a simple lunch for myself and had to wait for a lonesome egg to get cooked. I thought if I wait, it will be cooked just right. But if I don't, it will get off the casserole, too soft. Not that I have anything against soft eggs, but it is not what hard boiled eggs are supposed to be :) Alas, we spend a lot of time waiting for things to happen, to come to pass from the simplest things to our grandest dreams.

Why God asks us to wait is a mystery. Perhaps, he is much more concerned in building our character than giving what we have prayed for immediately. He indeed can bless your prayers for success in an instant but if you are not ready to handle it, it might cause you more harm than good.  If you are praying for a significant other, but are not ready for a mature relationship that requires commitment and sacrifice, you might find yourself in unnecessary pain. If you are waiting for a business deal to push through, and it still has not happened, perhaps there is something better for you just around the corner, or maybe you are being taught perseverance, which is one of the building blocks to success. We work and we wait. But sometimes, we mostly wait after we have sown the seed. We may sometimes feel like nothing is happening, but the seed is growing deep within. Waiting teaches the heart what is essential, so that when we receive what we have prayed for, we will be ready for it and we will cherish it.

There are lessons to be learned from waiting, albeit very valuable lessons. Stages, phases, we are often tempted to rush past them, cannot wait to get to the next stage of our lives, only when we get there, we can't wait for what's going to happen next.

There is beauty in waiting for it makes the trees grow sturdy and strong, it allows the sweetest fruit to be produced (hindi hinog sa pilit), and flowers bloom at their best. In these times of instant noodles and quick fixes, we tend to grow impatient at the slightest inconvenience of having to wait for something or someone.

However, you cannot force a seed to grow into a tree before its time, nor can you rush the cook in preparing your food (or the barista in preparing your coffee) if you want to have your best meal/coffee yet. For great things to happen, they must have the crucial ingredient of time, allow them to simmer for awhile so that they taste better and you are satisfied, contented.

Even children must go through their development stages. They must crawl before they can walk, otherwise if you force them to walk immediately, their muscles will become weak and they will stand feebly. The crawling makes their muscles stronger, it prepares them for standing up. We all need the time to grow, and this is why we wait. Do not skip a stage, do not take shortcuts. There is wisdom in waiting. Waiting for the right time protects us from making bad decisions and gives space for God to work in our lives and put things in order. Waiting's companion is Trust. Waiting will reward you with the best. But we must also know when to act. This requires prayer and discernment.

Waiting for me is a kind of sacrifice, simply because it is  difficult and challenging. The suffering one feels is internal, like your soul is being trained. It may feel like the gnawing pain of a body that has been placed under stress or the first week of toothache when your braces get adjusted except that there is no medicine that can ease the pain of the spirit. You're seating on the edge and the waiting is killing you. We may be tempted to rush things, to skip the pain (frustration) but to do so may result to more misery in the long run.  I believe the pain of waiting is temporary, and at the end of it is joy. You've heard of the cliche, haste makes waste. I agree. When you hurry, you're bound to make mistakes, and it takes more time to correct or fix things. But if you wait, plan, pray and then act, you are setting yourself up for success. I am not talking here though of indecisiveness or the paralysis of analysis, they are different things. At some point, you need to act and take the risk but make sure you are prepared.

I guess the waiting I'm talking about here is more of the waiting after you've done all that you could, when there is nothing else to do but to wait. You need to be patient in these times, open your heart and do other things. Do not worry because God is working behind the scenes on your behalf.

A personal experience I've had on suffering because of waiting happens when I meet up with my college friends. I used to feel lonely after meeting them, most of whom are happily married and in loving relationships. As I go home on my own, I feel very much alone. Oh, but I do love having times of solitude, I need these alone times, but I also have that longing for someone to share life with where joys are doubled and sorrows are halved as a Swedish proverb would say.

But wait we must, because waiting prepares us to receive the best, but I think that more importantly, it prepares us to give the best to the people who have patiently waited for us... Waiting brings us closer to God and builds our character.  I still dream of  having a loving, whole, happy family in the future but that can only happen if I am happy, healthy and whole myself.

Until that time comes, I shall wait patiently and enjoy every moment. Today is a gift! We must enjoy every stage in our lives and live it to the fullest. Who knows how long our life on earth will be? But I also know  that God is kind and that He will be faithful to bless our dreams. Let us wait then for his perfect timing.

Leaving you now for a while with a classic song rendered by my new favorite acoustics band, Boyce Avenue, introduced to me by our 63-year old graphic designer. Wow to the band and to our rocking artist. haha.  Just don't stop believing!

There are three answers to our prayers: No, Yes, but the most challenging and also the sweetest in the end is to Wait because God will give you the best when you trust him enough to wait for His best for you.

Have a restful weekend! : )