Strength Comes in the Waiting

 Recently, a precious friend and confidante shared these wise words with me:

 

“Strength comes in the waiting.”

 

It blew my mind. Strength in waiting?  I’m at my most vulnerable when faced with uncertainty…  Despising ambiguity, I’ve spent many years in the futile pursuit of control.  

 

Yet, as an educator, I know that “wait time” is a powerful tool in the classroom.  My faith in my students’ unwavering, I ask a question and let the invitation linger in the ether…  perhaps waiting until the silence grows uncomfortable, waiting until someone fills the void with a single tentative response… waiting until others delicately step forward with their own contributions… And then, the floodgates open, epiphany rushing forth lapping against the classroom walls, carrying the conversation along with the current of conjecture.  

 

“Strength comes in the waiting.”

 

I am humbled to think that I uphold this maxim as a teacher, but crumble when called to apply it outside of classroom discussions. I long to return to the education building and the palpable energy of my college campus, but the safest way for me to tender my students is through remote delivery for now. I take solace in the acknowledgement that an end to this ambiguity is inevitable, its nature divined by providence.  And, I've certainly learned a lot about online instruction over the past ten months. Resolve replaces the disequilibrium of uncertainty with calm assurance.  Strength comes from withstanding ambivalence, trusting an answer will arrive as promised, and learning as much as possible in the "between" time.

 

“Strength comes in the waiting.”

 

Teacher friends, in this time of WebEx meetings and recorded lessons, masks and face shields, distancing and quarantining, may we channel our anxieties, frustrations, fears, and disequilibrium to finding power in the wait... treading water and staying afloat while we anticipate the inevitable changing tides.  This isn’t forever. It’s simply for now.  While we wait, we’re blessed with the opportunity to develop some praxis.  What have we learned about ourselves?  To whom have we grown closer?  What have we learned to live with, and what have we learned to live without?  How have we grown in our craft?  What maxims and practices will we carry forward long after the current crisis comes to a close?  

 

Nurtured by faith, our strength grows as we wait.