Waiting. It is not my favorite pastime, yet I find myself continually waiting for something (or someone). I wait for the water to boil, the laundry to finish, traffic to clear, the ice cream maker to finish, answers about questions or test results. It’s clear that waiting brings an answer or sometimes a reward, but what do I do while I wait?
We are told in the Scripture to wait on the bridegroom because we know not the day or the hour of his coming. Being constantly on alert? How very stressful. Ask our first responders, this is an anxiety filled way to live, because you have to be ready to handle literally anything that comes your way. While you are waiting is it stressful and do you fret or are you calm and know it’s all gong to work out?
I live somewhere between the two, it sometimes depends upon what I am waiting on. There is a period of waiting before Easter, Christmas, the birth of a baby, a marriage ceremony, or the purchase of a house. It’s less challenging to wait because there is a joyous occasion at the end of the waiting. Laughter, joy, and celebration await! Why worry?
When the waiting involves medical tests, a loved one travelling far away, one in harm’s way, or an elusive job offer when you are unemployed, it is much harder to be peaceful and not worry. You are not assured of the laughter, joy, and celebration.
Notice that it’s a test. How you handle the “happy waiting” is most likely how you will handle the “hard waiting”. If you are reading this right now, you probably have at least an ounce of faith. An ounce is all you need, because the other part belongs to God.
My part is not to worry about what will happen. It’s having the patience to wait, knowing/trusting that God’s in control and whatever is coming my way, happy, sad, unknown, will ultimately lead me closer on my journey to heaven.
Let’s be real. I still worry sometimes. I am uncomfortable in the waiting place as many people are, but I am learning that the less time I spend in “worry mode” and the more time I spend in “trust mode, the better off I am. The answer or event does not come faster, but it does come more peacefully.
Try moving from worry mode to trust mode just once this week, you will be surprised at how much calmer you will feel. Right now, some waiting is over; the ice cream maker dinged. Let the celebration begin!
