At our recent “Morning Gathering,” I shared my thoughts on “the meaning of waiting.” While I am by no means good at “waiting,” I have come to understand its importance at various turning points in my life.
During a tree-planting project in Tanzania I participated in my twenties, I learned the hard way that because we prioritized efficiency and immediate results, the trees we brought and planted failed to take root in that land or among the people. In contrast, native trees grow slowly but steadily extend their roots until they reach the groundwater, and thereafter, they bring blessings to that land for a long time.
Waiting for things that seem incomprehensible at first glance. Waiting in situations that seem to offer nothing but suffering. Even now, I am not good at waiting. However, I feel that what shaped me and deepened and strengthened the roots of my life were those times of “waiting” when things did not go as I had hoped.
