Thursday, July 2, 2009 9:13 PM CDT
Clergy Views: Waiting and having patience -- we can't do it alone
By REV. RACHEL DOOLIN, Marshall Ave. Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) Mattoon
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NRSV)
Waiting and having patience — for most of us, this is difficult.
Yet every year, every season, every day brings a different anticipation and another opportunity for us to practice just this art.
We now, in the heat of the summer, sit in expectation of the picking of flowers and fresh fruit and abundant vegetables. We watch and wait as the ground is tilled and planted and get excited as the colorful green plants begin to sprout forth from the soil.
Our heart gets lighter as we gaze upon new leaves and the first sight of a berry. And we begin talking to others about the height the corn needs to be by the Fourth of July.
And yes, as always promised by our awesome God, then we bask in the wonderful smell of the flowers and strawberries and peaches and the luscious taste upon our pallet. But we have to wait. We have to be patient, for none can be picked until they are ripe and ready.
For everything there is a season.
This waiting, this having patience, is a difficult task. To be honest, we cannot do it on our own. We are always in need of our gracious and loving God.
It is difficult enough to wait on new flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables…it is even more difficult to wait through the storms of our life…through the painful blows to our emotions, to our bodies, to our spirit…to our livelihood.
We at times feel as if relief is not in sight. We get scared, confused, even possibly immobile, as if in a fixed state of isolation. And in that we sometimes wonder, “Where is God?”
In these times it is wise for us to remember that the Lord God is always with us. And to hold on to the promise that soon another season will be upon us…soon our mourning will turn to dance, and our weeping to laughter; for with our God we are never left alone in our pain, but are carried through that to new life.
No matter our situation, God is right there with us.
Thanks be to God, Amen.
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medic57 wrote on Jul 7, 2009 10:32 PM: