As I await Easter, I’ve been reminded once again of the importance of waiting in our lives. During the cold winter months, I often find myself wondering, “Will spring truly come to Greece?” Despite living in the upper New York area for over 20 years, this question arises in my mind every year. Now, spring has indeed arrived.
In reality, there’s nothing I can do to hasten this change. I cannot make spring come sooner than it does. All I can do is wait patiently within God’s creation. Waiting, especially without losing hope, is one of the most challenging aspects of our lives. Nowadays, we are an impatient society, craving quick services and valuing speed. We live in a time that is obsessed with immediate results. The delay of a text message or an email can seem intolerable. In our current culture, being slow is almost seen as a sin.
This contemplation led me to a question: If we were among the Christians
who witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and laid Him in a tomb, how would we have waited for His resurrection? Perhaps we would not have waited three days, thinking it too long to wait. Likely, we would have expected His resurrection immediately after placing His body in the tomb. However, Jesus did not resurrect immediately; He rose after three days.
Why? I cautiously believe that Jesus wanted us to wait for His resurrection with patience and hope. He wanted us to understand the importance of waiting in our spiritual journeys. Therefore, I personally think that one of the messages of the Resurrection is the act of waiting. Waiting is a necessary step in the journey from death to resurrection.
If someone were to ask me what I would pack in my spiritual journey’s
backpack, I would say patience, the ability to wait. I believe that this virtue, “waiting patiently,” will lead us to our destination, particularly as we reflect on the Resurrection of Jesus in Easter season.
Pastor Yohang