Monday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Be strong and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
Psalm 31:24
The drops pelt my window and I hear the swish of cars driving on the wet street. I pull the afghan more securely over my lap, appreciating the comfort of being safe inside as I listen to the rain.
But I will have to step out into the storm. I cannot stay here today, regardless of my desire to wait while I attend to the Holy speaking in the raindrops.
Waiting does not always mean staying in one place, or doing nothing. Sometimes waiting involves going about my daily business while knowing that something else is in the works as well. God is working in me and in the world all the time. And I can’t always sit back in comfort until the work is perfected. In fact, if I waited until God’s work with me was complete before I stepped out, I would never engage in the world at all. And if I don’t participate in God’s creation, then ….
Whether still or in motion, waiting takes a kind of courage; the willingness to hold one’s ground or to step out and do, even when all is not in place. Either can involve risk. Both involve trust.
I burrow into my afghan a few minutes more, wondering what God has in store for me on today's journey. Then I head out into the rain.
