Saturday, May 18, 2013

Pentecost Prayer Day 45 Becoming a Baby Again

I read a post today at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/spiritchatter/2013/05/pentecost-for-the-rest-of-us/ in which the author talked about waiting in prayer while we await Pentecost. "Wait" was my daughter's favorite word while she was under my care. Waiting seems to be the hardest thing many of us can do. We don't want to wait; we want to participate.

My daughter was always very methodical in her actions; she didn't toddle and fall. She waited and watched until she felt sure that she had figured out this walking thing. She then got up and walked up our driveway. I wasn't asked or expected to participate in her efforts. I was simply to wait while she did it herself.

When my first grandchild was born, she was a very hyper-aware baby. She was extremely excitable; I say that she moved like a little ferret.  I took great delight in seeing and hearing her hearty laughter. When she was fussy, my way was to try to "cheer her up." My daughter would envelop her in her bosom and say to me, "Mama, stop. Wait. She needs down time, not more excitement." I would watch my daughter absorb all her daughter's anxiety into herself as the baby drifted off to sleep. It was beautiful to behold, but I had no participation on the process.

We want everything to happen on our own time, not in eternal time. Often, especially in relationships, all we are asked to do is wait and watch. Pentecost is a state of being, not a series of actions. We want to go out and infect people with it, but it is usually best to simply wait. Opportunities to share The Sacred Spirit will come to us, just as plants grow toward the sun and animals draw near to a source of warmth emanating from each other.

My prayer for Pentecost is that we learn to watch and wait.