Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are, quite naturally, impatient in everything to
reach the end without delay.
We would like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being
on the way to something unknown,
to something new,
and yet it is the law of all progress
that is made by passing through
some stages of instability...
and that may take a very long time.
And so, I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually-
let them grow,
let them shape themselves,
without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
as though you could be today
what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accepting the anxiety
of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
- Pierre Teilhard d'e Chardin
We are, quite naturally, impatient in everything to
reach the end without delay.
We would like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being
on the way to something unknown,
to something new,
and yet it is the law of all progress
that is made by passing through
some stages of instability...
and that may take a very long time.
And so, I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually-
let them grow,
let them shape themselves,
without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
as though you could be today
what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accepting the anxiety
of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
- Pierre Teilhard d'e Chardin
One of the ladies in my Tuesday Bible study shared this with the class. I have been reading it all week and I am still trying to decided what it means to me.
I know that I spend all of my days hurrying to the next thing. Hurry to rise, hurry to breakfast, hurry to take care of business, hurry to play, hurry to sleep. I worry that I will not get it all done, as if I have some deadline. But really, I don't. I am always looking ahead to the next big event. To what tomorrow has in store, instead of enjoying today.
All I have to do, is make sure my kids are happy and loved. That they know the excitement of a new day and that they can revel in all that is good in our world. That they are protected and that they know when to give to others. That they have patience for each other and for the plan God has for their lives.
I plan to keep this saying on my bathroom mirror, so that it can serve as a reminder to me to enjoy every day. To remember that there is a plan for my life and that in God's time it will be revealed to me.
What does this statement mean to you?
I know this is rather deep for my normal posts, but I just thought I would get some of your input...
3 comments:
Erin,
I love that poem! And it really hit home. Over the course of the past year or so, I feel like this idea of patience-through-the- process has been revealed to me. Carlton's deployment taught me many things, but that most important one was that sometimes God allows us to struggle a little, or to not answer our prayers immediately, and through that process we're being refined to be more like Him. It 'aint always an easy road, and it requires more patience than I usually have, but when you can look back at a season in your life and realize that God's hand was guiding you the whole time, a wave of peace and confidence comforts you. Those are my "heavy" thoughts on patience ... but I'd also like to know the magical cure for not hurrying through the simple tasks of everyday life too (getting teeth brushed, in the car, out of the car, across the parking lot, shoes on, toys cleaned, dinner cooked, the list could go on forever!). Thanks for sharing!
This brings me back to one of my major struggles (and I'm a yoga teacher--how can this be so difficult for me??)--being present in the moment instead of mentally/emotionally charging on toward what is going to happen or that you want to happen. It's so hard for me (us as a society?) to slow down a little and savor what's happening (even if it's a little unpleasant). I struggle to teach Zane to enjoy slowing down instead of rushing to the next thing. Why is it so hard?
I think patience means something different to us all. To me, it takes the right attitude (glass half full) and the right lens. I read tons of blogs about sick babies or families in tragedy with the loss of young ones and through my prayers and sobs, I realize that a sink full of dishes, laundry over flowing from the baskets, unclean showers, and really unclean hardwood floors are just not worth the fuss. The most important thing for me is to know that my God has a plan for me and my family. I don't think my role as a housewive is more important than my role as a mother and wife. So I take the patience (however small it can be) and just relax. I don't book my schedule so full that it takes an army to get where I need to go. I cancelled playdates months ago because it was such a constant battle (pick up your toys, behave, don't do that, etc). I just let my kids be and that lets me just be.
That's my 2 pennies!
You're a great mom Erin, hang in there.
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