Mindful Advent: Waiting

Today’s Mindful Advent word is waiting.  It is a traditional theme in Advent: we are waiting for Jesus to be born in the story, we are waiting for Christ to be born anew to us.  Waiting is not easy for most of us, because it puts us in that uncomfortable place between where we were and where we want to be.  It is an especially difficult place to be when we believe that where we are is the wrong place to be, perhaps because of illness, injury, wrong choices, or who is in control politically.  We see things that should improve in our world — children going hungry, people persecuted for the color of their skin or because of who they love, systems rigged to help those in power and those who already have so much,…  For many, the only response that feels right is to cry out “Why!” and to ask where is God in all of this.  It sometimes makes me think of that song “40” by U2, which is based on Psalm 40 by the way.  The song starts out “I waited patiently for the Lord,” but also include “I will sing a new song” and “How long to sing this song,”   Waiting, and also working for change, and struggling with the wait, all going hand in hand.

Sit with it for a moment today, and focus on “waiting.” My hope for you is that you sense you are not alone in your waiting, and that gives you comfort.

I realize now that in my first blog post on this, I didn’t sign out.  I am the pastor at Plymouth.  Thanks for joining me on this mindfulness journey.

Leslie