Waiting Game
Lately, it seems I’m spending quite a bit of time waiting. Waiting for projects to get finished. Waiting in carpool lines. Waiting for a letter to arrive. Waiting for a page to load. Waiting for the Next Thing.
I’m not a very good “wait-er.” I feel impatience start rising from my toes and hit my chest in a rapid heart rate, and then a rush of blood to my face. I want my answer, my result, the thing that’s holding things up, to appear NOW. If not sooner. And make it snappy!
And yet, I know that God’s timing is always better than mine. He may let me stand in a Return/Exchange line for half an hour to help me learn the patience I need to wait for an answer to prayer in another area of my life. He is reminding me to trust, to listen and to rest in His will.
The thing about waiting is that there is so much that is “out of my hands.” I can’t MAKE someone make the decision I’m desperate for, or give me the project I’m dying to have. I can’t hurry along the tax refund check or force my husband to change. So while I cool my jets for a little bit longer, I’m finding that even when things are “out of my hands” there are some things I can do to make the most of waiting.
1. Remain Expectant. Cultivate a hopeful spirit. When I am hopeful and expect that God could move on my behalf at any given moment, there is an excitement that permeates my life. I have a dream that has taken 5 years to take shape, but each and every day I think: “This could be the day!” It puts a spring in my step and a fire in my soul!
2. Prepare. One of my favorite quotes is: “Opportunity comes to the Prepared.” While I’m waiting for the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes camera crew to arrive and tell me I’ve won, I can be working on my skills as a writer, as a mom, as an artist, and as a business person. I can make phone calls, write emails and create contacts. I can use my time in the holding pattern to build my strength and abilities for the opportunities that are sure to come my way.
3. Trust. My lack of patience shows that I have a lack of trust in the One who is leading and guiding my every step. Surely, He knows the right moment to bring the answer that will be for my benefit. He is not stringing me along out of a sadistic desire to see me suffer. He is shaping my character while he is putting together the right set of people, circumstances and things that will best bring Him glory through me.
4. Enjoy. This is not always easy, but learning to enjoy where God has me is a huge step in the right direction. When I look for the blessings that are right in the middle of the difficult waiting season, I can begin to see God’s plan unfold. Thanking Him when it seems like He should have showed up yesterday with my answer takes a conscious decision, but the change in my attitude affects everything around me.
5. Pray. I sometimes find that I spend more time wringing my hands and pacing the floor than getting down on my knees. It’s as if I think worrying about things will make my wait go faster. When I bring my wait list to the Lord, I give Him the freedom to answer as He sees fit….in His own time.
Micah 7:7 But as for me, I am looking to the Lord; I am waiting for the God of my salvation: the ears of my God will be open to me.
