Waiting the Christian way

It is often understood that to wait, especially in today'a fast paced world, is something that is not only antiquated but also an excuse to remain passive as the world passes you by. Waiting is something that is frowned upon in a number of circles and even argued to be a waste of time.

An argument against some Christian circles is that they are so busy waiting for heaven that they are no earthly good. While at the same time, there is something eternally hopeful about waiting. When we are waiting we are convinced that something will come. An appointment, a train, an apology. We are hopeful that these things we wait for will come.

The fact of the matter is, Christian waiting is a specific type of waiting and hoping. We wait for the coming of the Kingdom of God, but it is a participatory waiting. Waiting for the Kingdom of God is not idle waiting.

When we talk of waiting for Christ or the Kingdom of God, we are not talking about waiting at a bus stop while we fidget on the firm bench at the corner. When you wait for the bus, you know the bus is coming but there is nothing that you can do to speed the bus up or slow it down. Waiting for the bus is not the same as waiting for Christ.

Waiting for Christ is like hailing a cab. Like waiting for a bus, you must wait for a cab to identify you. But you must hail the cab, you must move to a visible location, you have to participate while you wait for a cab or you will never catch a cab - even if the cab is on the look out for passengers.

Christian waiting is more of hailing cabs than waiting for the bus. And when we actively wait then we will truly get somewhere.