Thursday, November 20, 2008

Waiting With Patience - Henri Nouwen

Another great thought from Henri Nouwen...

Waiting with Patience

How do we wait for God? We wait with patience. But patience does not mean passivity. Waiting patiently is not like waiting for the bus to come, the rain to stop, or the sun to rise. It is an active waiting in which we live the present moment to the full in order to find there the signs of the One we are waiting for.

The word patience comes from the Latin verb patior which means "to suffer." Waiting patiently is suffering through the present moment, tasting it to the full, and letting the seeds that are sown in the ground on which we stand grow into strong plants. Waiting patiently always means paying attention to what is happening right before our eyes and seeing there the first rays of God's glorious coming.

1 comments:

Alis said...

Thank you for sharing this Nouwen quote on patience. Currently reviewing the fruit of the spirit and this is really useful. Prayers and best wishes for your travelling dreams and bill paying.