We are waiting for a child to be born—our grandson. He was expected a week ago but has yet to make an appearance. We can see him kicking and three days ago our daughter thought labor was about to begin. But alas, not yet. So what does this waiting mean? What lessons might this little boy teach me?

It makes a difference that we are waiting for someone to join us rather than just waiting for a process to come to completion. This someone embodies hopes, dreams, and potential. May his life make a positive difference in our world. May he find meaning through the babe born to Mary thousands of years ago. We do want the birth process to end but not so we can get on with our normal life. Life will transition to something new and the old normal will end.

Waiting is a big theme in the scriptures. We wait in faith. We wait for one who loves us. We wait for something beyond our control. It feels uncomfortable—an inherent tension, an unfulfilled longing, a sense of helplessness, a fight to keep hopelessness at bay. We are waiting for our grandson to be born.

P.S.
The wait is over. He arrived an hour after I completed this post. 8 pounds and 10 ounces of joy.