🤲🏻 Patience: I wait in hope.

Year of Breath: For when you wish the slow burn was a bit faster.

Living into patient rhythms of growth is an act of faith.

All around us, we’re sold the lie that instant gratification is better than the slow burn of waiting.

Patience is French press coffee in a Keurig world.

Oh sure, waiting is ridiculously easy in the abstract. We lob around righteous cliches like “Patience is a virtue!” and “Good things come to those who wait!”

And yet, when it comes down to it, patience is tough for all of us.

(I want others to be patient — and to do it immediately!)

But in a time and space where I can press a button and get more than I need faster than I need, patience seems like something that will slow me down.

And there’s nothing our culture likes more than to be sped up.

May this time together invite you into reflection and contemplation.

Slow down.

Take a moment.

Breathe.

Borrow This Prayer

The liturgy below is from page 214 in Every Season Sacred.

O God, as we watch new life

Sprout and bloom,

As we breathe in the fresh air

And feel the sun’s warmth on our faces,

We thank You for the new life of spring.

We thank You for the hope inherent

In a spring rain or sun-soaked day

That brings buds that turn into blossoms.

And when it seems like we’re waiting for

New hope to grow within us,

Help us to wait in You,

For we know You are working

In the unseen soil of our hearts.

Lessen the pressure around us

To perform or be perfect,

For in You, all strivings cease.

Bring us fresh purpose so our

Nourished hearts can grow in You

And so we might live in a manner that

Cultivates flourishing for all people.

Amen.

A Blessing for Those Who Wait

by

Tanner Olson

for

Liturgies for Parents

Tanner Olson is an author, poet, and speaker living in Nashville with his wife, Sarah, their dog, Pancake, and their new BABY! Tanner’s writing aims to spread hope and announce love through written and spoken word poetry. From classrooms to churches to coffee shops to conferences, Tanner has traveled the country performing poetry, delivering messages of hope, and sharing stories. You can find Tanner's work at writtentospeak.com and @writtentospeak on Instagram.

Blessed are you who wait

And then wait some more.

Blessed are you who watch the lives around you

Receive the answers

To the prayers

You have been praying.

Blessed are you who have grown tired

Of feeling stuck and behind,

Exhausted from tossing and turning at night,

Wondering if everything will be alright.

Blessed are you who find yourselves in a world

Of constant questions, unwanted answers,

And unwelcome changes

As you watch the life you dreamed of

Float away. 

Blessed are you who wrestles the loud lies

That find their way inside your mind.

For you are not a burden.

For you are not behind.

For you are not unwanted.

For you are not forgotten.

Blessed are you who fights

To cling to the truth.

For you are loved.

For you are seen.

For you are heard.

For you are chosen. 

Blessed are you who continue

To hold hope close

As you wait

And wait some more.

This Week

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