In his book Discernment, Henri Nouwen writes that the Greek word for patience means "dwelling in the present moment" and requires that we enter "the thick of life." He adds, "When we are impatient, we experience the present moment as empty and want to move away from it. Much of our commercial culture skillfully exploits our impatience and tempts us to move toward 'the real thing,' which is always somewhere else or at some other time. Impatient living is living according to clock time (chronos), which has a merciless objectivity to it. It does not allow for spontaneity or celebration. Patient living is living in the fullness of time (kairos), in the knowledge that real life events happen in this fullness. And the great event of God's appearing is recognized in the fullness of time."
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AuthorTarn Wilson is the author of the memoir The Slow Farm and numerous essays. You may read more of her work at tarnwilson.com. Archives
September 2020
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