As a young adult I became a fan of Rainer Maria Rilke’s writing after reading “Letters to a Young Poet.” Rilke’s words have come back to me again and again as I’ve navigated life. Recently I was sitting with the following passage:
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.”
Sometimes we find ourselves at a time in life when we are facing questions whose answers potentially have a significant impact on our lives. Questions about career, health, relationships or countless other facets of life. Holding space for the questions is challenging and often requires patience to allow the necessary time for discernment before responding.
Patience is an active stance. In scripture we read examples of patience as a conscious choice to remain steadfast and calm when navigating situations. Practicing patience is about being long-tempered and even exercising courageous perseverance as we seek to continue to listen for God’s work in our lives. Patience allows us to be present without jumping to the answer.
As a counselor and facilitator I believe strongly that the process is as important as the outcome. In the process we consider what is possible and experience a full range of emotions. These experiences stretch us and can lead us to new understandings and insights. Rilke offers the following encouragement in such moments:
“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.”
The gift of questions is they can take us outside of our normal rhythm and invite us to hold space for what is possible. Questions and the unresolved matters of the heart often open my heart to God in a different way and increase my attentiveness to God’s working. Rilke’s wisdom invites me/us to have grace for what is unresolved within us, to linger with the questions, and to experience it all. In our aching world and the questions of our own lives Rilke’s words remind us that sometimes our task is to slow down and be in the process until the answer is clearer.
