Tell about a time when you experienced patience or a fruitful waiting time in your life. Was someone patient with you or did you offer a patience that surprised you? What does that experience of patience tell you about the character of God? 

A couple of years ago I travelled to Palestine with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) as part of a delegation. CPT is a faith-based organization that

supports Palestinian-led, nonviolent resistance to the occupation of Palestine and to work with Palestinian and Israeli peacemakers to create a space for justice and peace.

A few days into the trip had already exposed me to much suffering and horrendous injustice, and I had begun to despair. Then, a collection of experiences close together proved transformative for me. Our team met with a Palestinian Christian farmer who had suffered violence and destruction to his crops - his economic livelihood. Yet, he was deeply committed to loving his enemies, so much

so that he exuded joy. He had anchored his life in a greater Truth and Reality which seemed to produce in him a form of patient trust in God.

We also met with a Palestinian pastor deeply committed to the future of Palestinian youth and their education. When asked what gave him hope, he responded by quoting Martin Luther King Jr.: “The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice.” He, too, was drawing strength from the “big picture” perspective of God’s work in the world that gave him hope and the capacity to persevere.

At the peak of my despair, I talked with my delegation leader as I weighed if I could continue with the trip. She responded to me with patience and grace which gave me space to deepen into trusting God. Through these experiences I discerned an invitation to surrender to God and to be patient with the mystery of the unfolding of God’s redeeming work in the world. I surrendered and I completed the trip.        .