Recently I heard a phrase that struck a note--no an entire chord with me-
"So Much of Life Is About Waiting"
Do you dare to sit and think this over? When I did, I remembered time after time when I was playing the waiting game. Why do you think we have calendars? In my mind it is so we can keep up with all those future dates we are waiting for. How many times have I put something off---waiting for some event to occur before launching that project? Why waiting is such an important concept that we have even coined a phrase---"The Waiting Game". Perhaps one of the most significant "Waits" I had was the months of anticipation while awaiting the arrival of my three children. I spent a great deal of time and energy---preparing for their arrival. While waiting---I was getting ready for that big day. I remember counting the days until college graduation. Anticipating joining the Wide World of Accounting and finally making a livable wage, the hours of homework and studying were broken with daydreams of a better financial picture. Then there was the fun "wait" for my grandchildren to be born---one of life's highlights. Finally there was the wait for retirement. The only thing that is truly different about retirement is no one sends me a paycheck now--I seem to still stay as busy as ever.
The thing about waiting is the manner in which we wait can take on different faces. We can wait with great anticipation, we can wait with great anxiety, we can wait while counting down the minutes, we can wait with great dread. As you sit and ponder all the times you have waited can you identify an emotion during that time period? Our times of waiting can be an accurate reflection of how we look at life. Is your glass half full or half empty. Are you living with great expectations or planning for dooms day? There are certainly times we have no choice but to wait, but how do you spend the waiting time? Are you consumed by the "What if's?" or living in the land of "If Only" or are you excited to see what will come at the end of the wait?
This bears thinking over---spending some time pondering. Many things in life we have no control over---but we have control over our responses. And perhaps most important---we need to know that God's plan is always the best plan. The road to sanctification, though certainly a waiting game---is always well worth the wait. I must admit, at times, I utter the phrase, "COME LORD JESUS" but until He calls me home---I need to make the most of the wait.
"Wait for the Lord;
be strong,
and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!"
Psalm 27:14
