are we there yet?

In a press conference sort of thing right after the presidential election, President Elect Obama was asked about a timetable for selecting and announcing his cabinet. He said he planned to move with “deliberate haste.”

I really liked this phrase. I think deliberate haste is an interesting way to think of patience.

We all have visions. Not that we are prophets or anything, but we do definitely have ideas of what our lives might look like one day. What we want to do. Who we want to become. What we want our lives to mean.

We have HOPES for the FUTURE.

This Sunday was the first Sunday of advent. When we think of advent and the Christmas season, we are often inclined focus on remembering and celebrating the birth of Jesus. But what we should be compelled to consider and celebrate is that Jesus Christ will come again!

Reverend Christina preached on this first Sunday of advent. And she told this great story about an experience she had waiting for a delayed flight. I hope I do this justice, because it was awesome:

A little girl was waiting with her mom for the same flight as Christina and asked incessantly, “When’s the plane comin’, mama?” The mom didn’t know and insisted that her daughter just wait. When this answer became unsatisfying, the little girl even asked Christina…maybe a stranger would have a better answer! But Christina didn’t know and they all continued to wait together. Every plane that the little girl saw in the distance would be pointed out and she would say, “Look! Our plane’s a-comin’, mama!” Or, “Is that our plane, mama?” Over and over. Plane after plane. Finally, one got closer and closer to the gate and the little girl could excitedly say for sure, “Our plane’s a-comin’, mama! It’s REALLY a-comin’ this time!” And the rest of the crowd, including our Reverend Christina, joined in the little girl’s excitement said, “Our plane’s a-comin’, mama!”

What a great image! What a great story! What a great example of the kind of waiting we should do. That is the way we should wait for the things we hope for in our lives. That is the way we should wait for the coming of the Lord.

We should wait with our faces and hands pressed against a window. We should exhibit a kind of active patience.

When I was told to be patient as a child, I usually thought that meant to not ask again. To be quiet and not do anything. Haha—I’m pretty sure I thought it meant to stop being annoying.

But I think patience is different than that. I think patience should look more like “deliberate haste.” I think it should be active. In our patience, I think we should exhibit a kind of productive anticipation.

Our waiting doesn’t have to be lazy. As we wait to see how our lives will turn out, we have to do something. We have to work hard. We have to apply to schools. We have to go to class. We have to build relationships. We have to remain connected to our families. We have to be good friends. We have to KEEP MOVING.

As we wait for the coming of the Lord, we have to DO SOMETHING. We have to serve our neighbors. We have to edify our own faith. We have to attend worship and make ourselves physically part of the body of Christ. We have to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities. We have to live with care and compassion for the world God has created and the world Jesus Christ will return to. We have to DO while we WAIT.

Deliberate haste. Productive anticipation. Active patience. Now get out there, and WAIT!