Waiting. Watching. Praying.

The following is reposted from Breanna Mekuly’s blog, For The(e) Beauty. 

Part of being human means we're never satisfied. We're constantly looking for more, for something that will make us feel some kind of strong emotion, some sort of ultimate and everlasting joy. We're always waiting for whatever that is to come and complete us.

In the Christian Church, we celebrate the season of Advent as a time of waiting for Jesus to come into the world and bring the fulfillment of peace and joy and love. These weeks before Christmas provide a space for us to practice waiting - waiting for what is to come, waiting for what we deeply desire, waiting for the fulfillment of ourselves.

And while we wait, we are able to imagine what the fulfillment of joy and peace and love might look like in our individual lives and in the world. We watch the world around us to observe the realities in which we live. What is happening? Where is beauty? Where is hatred? Where is love? Who is suffering? Why? And then we pray. While we wait and watch, we pray for this fulfillment to come. We pray for goodness to overcome the evil, for beauty to emerge where there is ugliness, for joy to rest forever in our hearts.

So, what are you waiting for? And how are you waiting? With your eyes open or closed? Are you paying attention to what is around you? Are you paying attention to how you feel? Or are you just busying yourself to get through each day and onto the next until whatever it is you're waiting for magically appears? Do you take time to pray, to reflect upon what you see? Do you take time to pray, to admire the beauty that surrounds you? Do you take time to pray, to act upon what must be done now - to bring about justice, joy and peace - while you wait?

What might it look like for us to be continual observers of the world, watching and praying, while we wait?