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.