I had lunch yesterday with a good friend who was talking about the concept of “waiting.” All our lives, we find ourselves waiting for something – waiting to finish school, to get married, to have children, to find the perfect job, for the test results, to retire, to die…
Because I was an English major (Once an English major, always an English major. What was true in Narnia is true for English majors, too!), as I thought that afternoon about the idea of “waiting,” I couldn’t help but think of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
In Beckett’s play, Estragon and Vladimir are always waiting for the unseen Godot. The thing is, Godot never comes. At the end of Act One, a young boy comes to tell the pair that Godot has been held up but will surely come tomorrow. The same thing happens at the end of Act Two, which ends the play.
As Christians, I think that sometimes we feel like Estragon and Vladimir – caught up in a life of non-sense but constantly waiting for God. We find ourselves surrounded by foolish people and events, and wonder where the meaning and purpose is in our lives.
Yet, in our waiting, may we be more like King David in Psalm 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
August 19, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Beth, I find myself waiting for so much, waiting and wondering, anxious. It seems there is so much in my life dependent upon something else: I cannot adopt a child without a job, I cannot get a job. So much rides on my patience and complacency. The Lord knows I am not patient–a true test I know. I worry and ponder over the Lord’s will in my life so often. I find myself curious if it is his intentions for us to adopt, for us to do many other things, because he has me here right now, not working, not earning enough money to be eligible for adoption…its hard.
August 20, 2009 at 6:38 am
Thanks, Michelle, for being so honest. Waiting, whatever the circumstances, is not fun for anyone, but I have learned that we can’t just “wait,” but we must also “live” during the waiting. Otherwise, we will spend our whole lives waiting for the next thing and never actually live out the life that God has planned for us here and now. Keep praying and keep striving.