I was listening to a talk, and these words hit me like a ton of bricks: “What are we waiting for?” What am I waiting for? It is so easy to set up contingencies for our availability, our decisions, our actions, and our lives without realizing it. Before we know it, we have boxed ourselves and, more significantly, the Lord into a corner or worse, where only once x, y, and z are perfectly prepared, aligned and ready, we will be available to Him and whatever it is He’s doing or asking in our lives. How often I’ve given in to the temptation to delay something because of any number of bad reasons. (When I feel a bit more motivated… If he/she wasn’t so busy… I’ll wait for a “good” day, when there’s “good” weather, at a “good” time…) At times we can be almost eager to give in to any excuse!
During this pandemic I have found myself trying to use this question on a daily basis as a helpful tool. We have been living in some very unusual times, they continue to be unusual and, for me, there is a temptation to just put everything on hold until things are a bit more “normal.” Clearly some things do need to be put on hold or let go of for now, but it takes work and effort to discern what those things are – hence the temptations and excuses. However, when I bring this question into the situation, light dawns. Perhaps there is a good reason to wait. Great! That’s helpful to be aware of and keep in mind when I’m feeling impatient. Perhaps it is not necessary to wait, but rather, it is necessary to be a bit creative about how I do something (probably it will need to look different than it has in the past). Great! Now I can move forward peacefully in that, directing my creative efforts in a fruitful, new way. Certainly, pandemic-related restrictions are still a daily reality in our lives, but perhaps asking ourselves this question will be a helpful way to avoid succumbing to the enemy’s restrictions, which we definitely do not want to follow. What are you waiting for?
Sr. Kelly Francis, CFR