Patient In The Present Moment

Henri Nouwen writes, “A waiting person is a patient person. The word patience comes from the Latin verb patior, which means ‘to suffer.’ Waiting patiently is suffering through the present moment, tasting it to the fullest in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us.” (Discernment: Page 152)

It sounds simple enough. But who really wants to “wait” for things? After all, throughout our entire lives we’re told if we’re not actively doing something, we are wasting time.

Stay In The Present Moment

Paul describes patience in the Fruit of the Spirit list as “long suffering”. Perhaps that’s why we often run from words about patience. After all, no one really wants to go through a period of “long suffering”. But reality is, the only way to truly discover the hidden thing God is trying to teach us, and to have it “manifest in our presence”, is to remain in the present moment.

The question I guess is this; When in the midst of “patiently suffering through the present moment,” how do we resist the urge of trying to rush through the moment? No one really likes to suffer. Our flesh flees from suffering. But in order to discover the still small voice of God in the midst of any situation, we must also discover how to stay in the moment, despite the suffering.

Lord, help us discover how to be a “waiting people in the midst of the present moment.” This in turn helps transform us into a patient people in this journey.

Enjoy the ride,

Rus