Tick…………….
Tock…………..
Tick…………….
Tock…………..
Waiting. UG. It ranks right up there with “Going to the Dentist” and “Cleaning the Bathroom” on my list of Fun Things to Do. But waiting is SUCH a big part of our world, whether you are waiting for them to call your number at the DMV or waiting for God to give you an answer on what you are supposed to do.
I’ve always heard that “A watched pot doesn’t boil.” I think a watched pot does boil (I mean, we can only change basic science for the sake of proverbial wisdom so much) but it does seem to take FOREVER when we are staring at it. UGGGG… HURRY… UP!
But here’s the thing with waiting… It is a good thing. It helps us to enjoy the time we are in, reveling in God’s goodness. In HIS timing. For a society that has been conditioned to receive things instantly, this can be a challenge. A serious, annoying, hurry-up-or-I’m-gonna-start-twitching kind of challenge.
God makes us wait for a reason. Yes, it makes us stronger. Yes, it helps us to enjoy that moment even more when it finally arrives. But even more so, it requires us to deeply depend on Him.
Some things get better with time… I personally believe homemade macaroni and cheese is better the next day. It is thicker, richer, and to my taste buds, much yummier. Wine gets sweeter with time. And don’t even get me started on how awesome chocolate avocado mousse is after a day or so in the fridge. (I’m making myself hungry. Dang.)
Waiting for an answer isn’t easy. But it is necessary. My husband and I are currently in the midst of a shoulder-shrugging “What-do-we-do-what-choice-does-God-want-us-to-make” match. We’ve debated options about a variety of life topics, thinking that we could talk ourselves into a feasible answer.
Yesterday morning, my husband came home to grab his dress uniform while I was in the middle of my quiet time with Jesus. It was a good thing I was sitting down because God knocked my socks off. He had given me an answer to all of our questions we had lately.
I excitedly announced this information to my beloved upon his entrance into the house. “GOD TOLD ME THE ANSWER!! I KNOW WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO!!”
He immediately poised himself for the profoundness that he expected to come out of my mouth. See, my husband is a very black and white kind of dude. (I guess probably because he IS a dude. Men are kind of like that, I’ve noticed.) I took a deep breath and proceeded with the announcement that would change both of our lives…
“God said to wait on Him.”
My husbands shoulders fell a bit. So much for the black and white answer we were both hoping for, right? Surprisingly, I was relieved to know that it was OK for us to just chill out. We had been trying to find the “best” answer ourselves and it was wearing us down. After a few moments, Brandon perked up, hugged me and replied, “Ok, then my lover… We wait on the Lord… Together”
Talk about a moment worth waiting for.
Waiting in His Presence,
SGK
“I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” –Lamentations 3:24
