There is no doubt that Chris and I are in a period of waiting and transition.  We are waiting to know which city we will be moving to in May.  We are waiting to find out about Chris’ job interviews.  We are waiting to hear if Abby and Brady get into schools we have applied for.  We are waiting for our house to sell, and we are waiting for it to sell in a time-frame that works for us.  We are waiting for Chris’ graduation.  We are waiting to tell a city we love good-bye, while at the same time waiting to greet a new city with excitement.  We are waiting in a period of unknown.

Waiting is hard; however, waiting for the unknown to become known is even harder.  Most days I wake up capable of trusting in God, resting in the unknown, and full of hope.  Every now and then, though, a day will sneak in, and I find myself in utter despair, questioning and doubting everything.  On these days, I struggle to trust in God, to trust that all will be well, and to trust that we will one day get answers.  On these days, I worry constantly about my kids during this transition. On those days waiting in hope is hard.

So many of us have waiting we have to do in our lives as we move through transitions in our lives.  How do we wait in hope?  Here are a few things that I have done to help me hold onto hope on those days that waiting feels impossible:

• Savor the gifts in my life and the places I know God is working
• Call, email, or see the people in my life who keep me grounded, who always have my back, and who know when it is time to give me advice and when it is time to just be with me.  
• Return to a scripture that brought me great comfort 
• Return to a moment in prayer when I felt consoled
• Remind myself of another transition period that God saw me through
• Spend time with others in community doing something fun
• Get outside and in nature (sometimes the simple act of stepping outside to absorb the light does wonders for me)

Often, after doing one or multiple of these things, I find that I can return to my resting place of waiting, hopeful waiting.

How do you hold onto hope in times of waiting?

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.