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December 9th.
2009
WAITING
As I walked in the door I was immediately disappointed. I had only 30
minutes and everywhere I looked all I could see were the faces of folks
who outwardly appeared like I inwardly felt – I don’t have time to wait!
I then looked up on the flat screen TV floating from the ceiling. There
was my destiny – a long list of names of those who I now shared the
wait-your-turn-world with. This was, as they say, exhaustive.
The faces, compounded by the list, sealed the deal – I definitely did
not have time wait – I was out of there! Three days later I returned and
it was a complete dejavue. Still with not a lot of extra time on my
hands I decided to wait it out.
The waiting was long, but frankly not as long as I thought it would be.
Yet, while I waited something happened. First, I ran into a friend that
I had not seen in a long time. Second, I was able to help a father and a
son who were trying to make a decision. Third, I had a wonderful
conversation with this nicest senior lady. And finally, when my number
was finally called I had the most helpful person you could imagine. The
whole experience took 45 minutes. Fifteen more than I had time for but
worth the wait.
In my experience, we generally are not good “waiters.” We want what we
want when we want it. In part, we have adopted the cultural norm of
immediate gratification. And as such we have lost the possible Holy that
can take place in the waiting. When I think about it, some of the best
conversations I have had with folks have happened when waiting in line,
waiting in terminals, waiting for someone.
The reality is having to wait is inevitable in our lives. And the other
reality is that as followers of Jesus waiting is part of the journey.
The question is how will we spend our time waiting. Will we become
anxious, maybe even angry because things are not happening on our
schedule, or will we embrace the moment and seek the Holy that is to be
found in every situation?
Blessings,
The Rev. Brian N. Prior, Rector
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