Sunday, July 03, 2005
Sacrament of Waiting
An ExcerptWaiting is a good thing only if something is worth waiting for. How will you know if it's worth it? Gut feel. What if you don't trust your gut? Pray. You will be enlightened. Trust me. Is it wrong to expect while waiting? It's not wrong, but it will increase your chances of heartbreak and disappointment if things don't work out in the end.
Is it good to expect while waiting? It is better to hope. What's the difference between hoping and expecting? Hoping means you're open to either side of the coin landing though you're more inclined to believe that things will turn out well. Expecting means you're thinking single-track...which won't do you much good at all.
What's the difference between waiting and expecting? Expecting is waiting for something to definitely happen. Waiting is staying where you are, but not necessarily expecting something to happen definitely.
Do you need assurance from someone you're waiting for while you're waiting? Ideally, yes. But realistically, do you really want assurance from this person? It's so easy to just point at something and make that the reason why you're waiting ("Because he said..." "Because he told me that..."). With waiting, all you can really rely on are 3 things: your gut feel, your heart, and your mind. Just yourself, not anyone else.
So should you wait? What does your gut say? How does your heart feel? What does your mind think? If they're saying different things, keep asking yourself these 3 questions (and pray!) until you get a solid answer.
Then you'll know if he is worth waiting for.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
by Fr. James Donelan, S.J.
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