Memorial of Saint Augustine
My son loves to read Dr. Seuss’ Oh the Places You’ll Go. In this book I am always struck by the page that describes “the waiting place.” This page often makes me sad, because I have been there – I have been stuck in “the waiting place”. You know that place – it’s when you don’t want to commit to anything or do anything because you’re waiting for the next big thing to happen. It’s when you put life on hold and stop living in the moment because we are obsessed with waiting for something.
I think this happens a lot with major transitions in life – marriage, children, new jobs, etc. We sometimes stop experiencing the day to day around us because we are stuck waiting for these changes to happen. Maybe we’re stuck because we’re scared or excited or nervous. No matter the reason, this kind of waiting freezes us and stops us from living fully.
In today’s readings we hear that there is more to waiting. Christ tells us that we cannot stop living just to wait. It is those times of waiting that show much of our character. In the Gospel reading we hear about the servant who is waiting for his master to return. We hear of the servant who continues to live intentionally and continues to serve others and to follow the master’s rules. This servant is rewarded. We also hear of the servant who acts as though this time of waiting for the master’s return does not matter. He acts selfishly and cruelly.
It is how we live in the day-to-day grind, in the waiting times, those times when things may not seem exciting or thrilling, that show so much of who we are. Even when we are waiting for God to reveal the next piece of the plan, we still need to stay focused on those around us, working to see Christ in each moment, in each person we meet and in each interaction we have.
As Dr. Seuss tells us,
“NO! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.”
That is when we stop waiting and start living.
- Amanda Grimm