Waiting – in just about any capacity – can be hard. Most of us, by our very nature, do not wait well. We are impatient. We are so used to filling each and every moment of our day that when we are forced to wait, we are unsure of what we should be doing during that time.
Technology hasn’t helped. I carry with me (almost always) a pocket computer in the form of my phone. As soon as I am alone waiting, the temptation to pull it out and “fill time” begins. Worse yet, so many times even in the presence of others that same temptation arises and the waiting time (which could be filled by interacting with one another) is filled with the world of tech.
We don’t wait well.
Yesterday I took my daughter Hannah to register for her last year of high school. Since Hannah has special needs, she can neither drive herself to registration as some of her peers did nor can she be dropped off to register. Hannah needed a parent with her. Much of the experience of registration is waiting. Chaotic waiting. One line leads to another poorly marked line. Then another. The eventual goal: A registered student. Getting there is exhausting.
Friend, the waiting is brutal. Yet this waiting seems like small potatoes for so many of life’s other, more crucial seasons that require waiting.
Waiting for test results.
Waiting for a loved one battling addiction.
Waiting for the right job.
Waiting to see if a spouse’s heart will return.
Waiting for healing.
There is no end to the waiting. The need is great. While provision is possible, the results are not always what we hoped for, or happen in the time frame we desired. What do you do while you wait? What should we do while we wait?
I guess that the way we would answer those questions largely impacts not only the present but the future.
Years ago, I was working at a job I loved, plugging along. I did not realize that my job was going to be taken from me. Without warning, I was told that there was going to be some restructuring of the department I worked in and that I was going to be let go in a month’s time. I was devastated. I was hurt. We needed my income to pay the bills.
Circumstances being as they were, we had also planned to go on a 2 week trip to the Holy Lands during that final month of employment. That meant that upon return, I would work for 2 more weeks – creating a book/notebook documenting all the parts of my job so that they could use it as a reference for the restructuring.
When the job ended, I entered into a period of depression. I had no idea what I would do or should do. I only knew that I needed to do something. I also learned that I was pregnant.
During those 3 months of being jobless, I filled my time doing the only thing I knew would help me. I prayed. I spent hours – literally hours – every day reading the word of God. I would read my Bible, journal my thoughts, change the position of the sprinkler outside, then return to my reading, praying, journaling, and back to moving the sprinkler… My yard began to look green, but at the same time, growth was happening inside of me as well. Seeds were being planted. Faith was growing. God’s word was literally taking root.
After 3 months, I began working a new job. While I didn’t love the job, can see now so clearly that God intentionally placed me there. He was paving the way, preparing and providing for the birth of a child who would need extra insurance benefits that this job provided, as well as a mama’s heart that was deeply rooted – prepared as well as anyone can be this side of heaven – for the emotional roller coaster coming. I needed the word of God to make it through. I needed to know God’s promises so I could claim them, and speak them over my child who was fighting for her life.
Friend, I realize that our times of waiting vary in length as well as in the circumstances that surround them… But what if we were intentional about our times of waiting? What if, regardless of the length of the wait, we filled the waiting times up with things that give life – instead of meaningless waste? How might my attitude change? Is it possible that even my circumstances might change based solely on what I do while I wait?
I can tell you social media does not bring me peace. Playing games online with or without friends will not provide me with hope. Watching TV cannot change my circumstances.
I want peace. I want hope. I want my circumstances – sometimes even need my circumstances to change.
There is One who will fill our times of waiting with His life-giving words if we let Him. There is One who can bring about the miraculous if we ask Him. There is One whose love exceeds the depths of our limited understanding and is custom-designing (often behind the scenes) a plan for our lives.
Time with Him is not empty. Time with Him holds great return for the investment. Time with Him will not become something we later regret. It is the absolute best thing to do while we wait.
Blessings!