Prodigal Life

“A waiting person is a patient person. The word patience means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us.” ~ Henri J.M. Nouwen

Today's Gospel of the Prodigal Sons and Faithful Father is a favourite. I imagine that father waiting and watching every day for the return of his beloved son. What patience he must have had! What hope he sustained day in and day out! What sorrow he must have felt as each day passed too. His task was not easy. Every day must have ended with heartache and yet each day must have begun with incredible hope.

This was no leisurely kick your shoes off and sit by the pond waiting. No, this was a worry-filled waiting that his son would return home safely soon. How often do we wait for something with great impatience? Right now I have a number of people in my life waiting for very serious medical information. As I wait with them, I sense their stress. There is no place else to go as they wait. I suppose they could numb themselves with all sorts of things, but I suspect they would soon see the pigpen that they would wake up in and come to their senses. The wonderful observation is that each of these people are living fully into the situation while they await a diagnosis or outcome.

One of them said to me today in a strong voice after we had shared a tearful moment that she believed that we were going to be together as planned in a few weeks because it was meant to be. That the trip had been booked for a reason and when we decided upon the vacation we did not know that it would bring us to this place. Something greater was being manifested. I heard truth in those words. I know God is in control, even when we bring ourselves into a place that awakens us to our blessings--gifts that we may have been unaware of until they have been deserted. A longing comes, as with the younger prodigal son, that we cannot ignore in our desperation.

Week four of Lent begins. How are you waiting and what do you think will eventually be manifested?

Peace,

Suzanne