For Reflection

“The greatest temptation of our time is impatience, in its full original meaning: refusal to wait, undergo, suffer.” If this was true in 1946, when Christian philosopher and historian Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy wrote it, how much more so now? Waiting is never easy, and no one enjoys prolonged suffering. And yet, God seems content to place us in situations of waiting, perhaps because He knows something we hesitate to embrace: waiting on God can actually grow our faith. Consider Romans 5:3-4: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Or Romans 15:4: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” God uses times of persevering through waiting to draw us into a deeper relationship with us. We need to know that, because one of our biggest desires is that our relationship with God would be easy. Rosenstock-Huessy again: “Modern man’s temptation to impatience accordingly expresses itself in the craving for panaceas and short cuts.” Our inability to wait makes us crave short cuts, but there is no life hack for spiritual growth. Instead, God calls us to trust Him, and as we trust in a season of waiting our faith grows. The method of prayer in Psalm 40 helps us develop the capacity to wait well: pray with honesty, gratitude, and confidence. Trust that God will not waste your waiting; He has a purpose for it, and is creating in you a vibrant faith that leads others to Him. For Reflection: — Re-read the quotes from Rosenstock-Huessy. Where do you see impatience in our modern world? In your own life? — React to this thought: There is no life hack for spirituality. We want our relationship with God to be easy, but He allows trials to grow our faith. — What is your biggest temptation in times of waiting for God’s help? How can you lean into suffering as an aid to your spiritual growth?