Thursday 29th April

As I sat praying in the Chapel of the Incarnation the thought of patient waiting on God came to me. I opened my eyes just as the sunlight came through the glass window in the door. Initially there was a fleeting glimpse of the pattern of the cross on the wooden bench, a cloud came over the sun and once again it was gone. A few moments later it reappeared.

In that moment I recognised that God has a plan for each one of us but will only reveal it to us when the time is right. We may have the odd glimpse of God's plan – a foretaste of what is to come, but it is only when God is ready we will see more fully what the plan is for us. Even then there may still be things we don't fully understand. In the photo of the Celtic cross there is one section of the "ring" (the circle of God's complete love) missing. To me this appears to represent the bits that God has chosen not to reveal to us yet. This can be seen as the stepping out in faith, we know and trust that God has a plan and although it has not been fully shown we act because of our trust in God.

To me the photo speaks of having to learn patience, to wait for God to reveal his plan, in God's time not my time! This came to me as a salutary reminder for the end of my retreat.