Patient Trust
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient with everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient with being on the way to something
unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability -
and that it may take a very long time,
And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually – let them grow,
Let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
as though you could be today what time,
(that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that His hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.
We are quite naturally impatient with everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient with being on the way to something
unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability -
and that it may take a very long time,
And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually – let them grow,
Let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
as though you could be today what time,
(that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that His hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.
~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.
Thanks to David@Montreal for sending me the wise and beautiful poem.
That makes me think of Mr. TC. And also myself.
ReplyDeleteLinda, the poem was what I needed today. I especially like the last four lines.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of someothing I first came up with back in collged. Like anything from college days, it's probably way too superficial, but....
ReplyDeleteRemember, if God seems not to be answering your prayers, that He really does have "all the time in the world" to take care of matters.
Good lord, my typos are really bad tonight...
DeleteKishnevi, not superficial at all. God may have all the time in the world, but the question is, do we have all the time in the world?
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about the typos. My motto for my blog posts is publish first; edit afterward. Thank goodness for the edit function, which is, unfortunately, not available in the comments.
Teilhard is a favorite of mine. Love his Mass on the World. This is a beautiful poem and no matter how much in a hurry we are, God is not.
ReplyDeleteAmelia, I am not surprised that Teilhard de Chardin is one of your favorites. You have much in common, being both scientists and priests. And for all I know, you may be a secret poet. ;-)
ReplyDeleteIf only.
Delete