Bethlehem Connect January 2018 | Page 4

Faith & daily life At the heart of our faith is the belief that God meets us where we are in all the places and relationships in which we live, work, play and relate. We pray, support and encourage one another as we grow deeper in faith and learn to trust God with our whole lives. Some of us are new on the journey; others have been at it for a while. All of us can find inspiration and hope in the stories of our fellow travelers. FAITH & DAILY LIFE will be featured monthly with stories of God at work in YOUR life. The Beauty in Waiting by Audrey Mitchell Two years ago on a beautiful Saturday, I was playing soccer. The game was tied 0-0. I received a pass and quickly shot the ball. It flew towards the top right corner of the goal and bounced off the crossbar. I didn’t score, but it’s still one of my favorites moments of playing soccer. As the ball was in the air, everything seemed to move in slow motion. I thought about how fun it was to be with my teammates and how nice it was to have friends and family in the stands. While I watched the ball and waited, I remembered why I love playing soccer. Waiting is something we do every day: waiting in line, waiting for a grade on a test, waiting for a text back. Waiting usually has a negative connotation. It’s not something we want to do. But maybe if we change our mindset we can find beauty in waiting. "If we pay attention to moments of waiting, rather than avoiding them, maybe we can sense God around us, doing good things in the world..." 4 As a senior in high school, I am in a significant period of waiting. I’ve sent out college applications and am waiting to know where I will be next year. Not knowing is scary, but with the beginning of the next phase of my life comes the end of this one. Instead of thinking about the future, I want to stay present, spend more time with friends, enjoy my last high school ski season, my last school dances, and even my last few months of eating in the chaotic lunchroom. Although I’m excited for the future, I want to remember the beauty in what I have now, in the waiting. We wait for the joy and hope that Jesus brings. In our broken world, we need that beauty more than ever. In the midst of natural disasters, violence, and negativity in politics, we need good news. How are we helping neighbors rebuild after natural disasters? How do we advocate against violence? How has our political climate brought people together to fight for social change? Last summer, I traveled to San Diego and Tijuana with The Global Immersion Project to learn about immigration. We arrived at Casa del Migrante, a migrant shelter in Tijuana. The men who stay there are waiting to cross the border into the United States or waiting to start a new life in Tijuana after being forced to leave the country where they had made their home. Although it was easy to be overwhelmed with sadness thinking about what these men had gone through, I saw beauty in how much hope they had, even after being deported. I saw beauty in the community that was present: eating meals together twice a day, sharing their experiences with each other, and contributing to running the shelter. We are challenged to find beauty in waiting. If we pay attention to moments of waiting rather than avoiding them, maybe we can sense God around us, doing good things in the world, reminding us that peace, hope, and light are coming soon, in an unexpected way.