Last week I had great fun walking a fairy trail with my daughter at Minterne House. The path led us to an area with several streams, and we found a sunny grassy bank where we dipped our feet into the cold water. It sparkled as it flowed quickly over the stones.

Just a metre downstream, though, where the stream deepened, it looked as if the water had stopped moving. Only when I glanced away and back again did I notice some duckweed had shifted - proof that the current was still at work, just slower and deeper.

I thought of this later as Jen and I listened to our favourite weekly podcast Mid-faith Crisis. The presenters spoke about how transformation is often slow, especially when it is deep, like that hidden current. I confess, I find this frustrating. I want my healing and change to be fast and sparkling, like the shallows where we dipped our toes. But often the work that's needed goes deep - and takes time.

I believe God can bring change suddenly, but more often He calls us to "trust in the slow work of God," as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin writes in his poem Patient Trust. This can feel uncomfortable, but like St Paul, I need to remember that God's grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) and not rush ahead. As Pierre concludes his poem:

'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.'

-Extract from Patient Trust by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

 
Where in your faith journey might you need to rest in the truth that God's grace is sufficient?
How are you allowing others to journey with you as you 'trust in the slow work of God'?

 
If you feel you don't have anyone to journey with and would like to, then please drop me an email, and we can see how the church might help with this. 

Blessings,
Paul.