It seems these days that I am surrounded by women who are pregnant and waiting for the arrival of their little one into the world.  I realized this morning that 8 of my friends will have babies between February and July.   Both yesterday afternoon and this morning, I sat and talked with pregnant friends about the joys, hopes, fears, and challenges of pregnancy and motherhood.  While I do not share being pregnant with them right now, I do wait in anticipation with them as they prepare to welcome new life into their worlds.

Many of us are not pregnant right now.  However, many of us are in moments of transitions and change.  I am reminded by these beautiful women that we too must wait in hopeful anticipation for new life to unfold for us. We so often do not fully know or understand what is ahead of us.  We, too, are faced with the joys, hopes, fears, and challenges that “new life” will bring.  Sometimes, the waiting and anticipation is the hardest part because we often face the unknown.

New life will come though…it always does.  While at times of transitions we sometimes feel fearful, angry, and lost, we must remember there is always hope.  God is with us now as we wait, and God will be with us when we finally experience the “new life”.  Just like God was with Elizabeth as she awaited John’s birth.  Just like God was with Mary as she awaited Jesus’ birth.

What are you waiting in hopeful anticipation for right now?
What “new life” awaits you?
Where do you need to be reminded that God waits in hopeful anticipation with you?

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.