# Episode 123137: 12/14/25 Waiting Well: Praise While We Wait

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sunday-homilies-with-fr-mike-schmitz-614176/episode-123137-12-14-25-waiting-well-praise-while-we-wait.md
Podcast: [Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz](https://stenobird.com/podcast/sunday-homilies-with-fr-mike-schmitz-614176)
Published: 2025-12-13T17:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://fathermikehomilies.fireside.fm/123137
Audio file: https://growx.podkite.com/https/PK4y44mbw3/aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/1b1273a3-3711-4e9f-b187-36a4f8791359/e3c38b17-a34f-4e48-8355-767b8b58cf61.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1279

## Resource

True patience is found not by rushing through seasons of waiting, but by choosing praise over complaint. By anchoring our identity in God's timing rather than our own urgency, we can find stability even when progress is invisible.

## Highlights
- Main idea: Spiritual growth often happens underground, much like bamboo, where visible progress is absent but deep roots are forming
- Failure mode: Constant hurry and rushing do not decrease time; they only increase the risk of error and internal exhaustion
- Practical takeaway: Use praise as a declaration of sufficiency—affirming that you have what you need and are exactly where God wants you
- Main idea: Habitual complaining strengthens the heart's tendency toward anxiety, whereas praise strengthens the heart's capacity for endurance
- Practical takeaway: Christian hope is not mere positive thinking, but a relational trust in the character of Jesus Christ

## Topics

Advent, Patience, Christian Trust, Spiritual Growth, Maximilian Kolbe, Faith, Prayer, Resilience

## Chapters
- 1:00 — The Reality of the Advent Season: Reflecting on the Gospel of Matthew and the inherent tension of the season of waiting.
- 3:00 — The Danger of the Hurry: An examination of how the modern impulse to rush leads to sadness and inefficiency.
- 6:00 — Internal vs. External Solutions: Why seeking external changes to satisfy immediate wants fails, and why we must seek internal transformation instead.
- 9:00 — The Lesson of the Bamboo: Using the growth pattern of Asian bamboo to illustrate the importance of unseen spiritual development.
- 12:00 — Strengthening the Heart Through Praise: How choosing praise over complaint acts as a way to make the heart firm and resilient.
- 15:00 — The Example of Maximilian Kolbe: A powerful look at how Father Kolbe maintained praise and encouraged others even in the depths of Auschwitz.
- 19:00 — Waiting Well in the In-Between: Applying the discipline of trust to our current lives to become people who can wait with joy.

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## Transcript

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