Waiting…

Waiting for COVID-19 to go away…

Waiting to hug and embrace our friends and family once again…

Waiting for white folx to dismantle racism within themselves and our culture…

Waiting for the November elections…

Waiting for justice…

In our Western culture, we perceive time as linear and so waiting is a normal part of our reality. White Christian culture is built on waiting– waiting for the return of the Messiah to bring peace to the good and condemnation of the wicked. But this sort of waiting is reliant on divine powers and can be a path towards supremacy and discrimination, and in the very least, apathetic. As Unitarian Universalists, whether we believe in a divine power or not, we recognize the power of human agency to bring about change. This recognition is what pulls us towards social justice work instead of allowing us to slide into a mode of escapism.

But we’re in a time when the waiting is heavy and the unknown future can make us especially anxious. It’s easy to feel despair and give up, worrying only about our own lives, shutting out the troubles stirring around us. It’s just as easy to overwork ourselves, doubt ourselves, wondering if we’re doing enough, and get burnt out. There’s a balance we must find. Where do you find yourself on the scale?

Let us focus on the quality of our waiting. How do we participate in this waiting? Are we participating enough or too much? How are we allowing for joy to enter into the waiting? Where does compassion fit into our waiting? Are we helping to empower others to participate in this waiting or are we hoarding our power and sitting back in our privileges? Are we just hoping others will take care of things or are we participating in an active hope, steering the waiting in the direction of love? What will the outcomes of this waiting be? It’s up to us to decide. Take care of yourselves, take care of others, take care of the Earth, and we shall continue to move in and out of these patterns of waiting with more grace, more joy, and more love.