I don’t like waiting. I don’t like waiting in line. I don’t like waiting for the water to boil in the tea kettle in the morning. I don’t like waiting for spring. I don’t like waiting for our kids to unload the dishwasher.
And if I’m honest, I don’t like waiting for God.
I like getting things done quickly and efficiently. I like planning my week and accomplishing the tasks. I like feeling busy and productive.
But over and over again, the Bible tells us to wait for the Lord. And as we approach Easter, I’m thinking about the women who waited after Jesus’ death. The day after Jesus died was the Jewish Sabbath day, a day of rest, a day of waiting. As it turned out, they didn’t even know what they were waiting for. They thought they were waiting to tend to Jesus’ body, when in fact they were waiting for resurrection.
What would it mean for me to wait for resurrection? What would happen in my soul if I “fasted” from busyness and practiced waiting? What if I made a set of decisions to slow down? To read a book instead of answering more emails? To journal about the discomfort of an empty evening? To go for a walk in the twilight and notice the harbingers of spring? What if I practiced fasting from busyness and waited for God?
For me, to wait for God means letting go. Letting go of activities that keep me in a state of constant rushing. Letting go of getting a sense of identity and worth from busyness.
In this season of Lent, I am waiting for spring. I am waiting for Covid restrictions to lift. I am waiting for resurrection.
To read more with Amy Julia:
2021 Fasting Series:
- What’s Up With Fasting
- Fasting 101
- Fasting From Food (Hungering for God)
- The Unexpected Gift of Fasting in Community
- Fasting From Podcasts (Listening to God)
- Fasting From Busyness (Waiting for God)
- Fasting and Justice
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