Wait

Do you enjoy waiting? Have you ever thought about how much time we spend waiting? I imagine that if we kept a record, we'd be amazed how much of our day is spent doing so. We wait for traffic lights. We wait in grocery lines. We wait to be served. We wait for appointments. We wait for family members. We wait for the mail. But that type of waiting is just a part of our normal day by day living. Sometimes our waits are in anticipation of something very special happening and often we don't mind such waits. Children wait for Christmas and presents. Teens wait for their 16th birthday so they can get their permit and begin to drive. Seniors wait for a letter of acceptance. College students away from home wait for that visit from their parents and family. We wait in anticipation for a big game or a special concert or a wedding or an anniversary. We wait for a special vacation or a special trip. We wait for the birth of a child or a grandchild. We wait for our spouse to return from a long trip. Sometimes workers wait for Friday and the weekend break from work. Sometimes we wait for the day that we can retire. But often waiting is very hard and emotional because of the possible consequences. I remember many long nights of sitting with a sick child or spouse just waiting for the fever to drop and for the sun to rise. Often we have to wait for days or weeks to see a doctor when we have a problem. We wait for a loved one to come out of surgery. Then there is the waiting for the results of a biopsy or a medical test. Sometimes parents sit and wait for a child to come home late at night. Sometimes we wait to see if we will still have a job when the company is going through downsizing. Times waiting like this are tough. Human nature is to be impatient and not wait. We want things done immediately. We live in a time of instant foods, fast food restaurants, fast internet connections, and fast cars - we want things done now. But God doesn't always deal with us like that. While he is always there where we can speak to him immediately, even faster than the internet with no waiting, his answers are sometimes "yes", sometimes "no" and even sometimes "wait". After the death of my father, I inherited several of his pictures and mottos. One of those which had hung in their dining room for many years now hangs near the sink where I dress each morning. And so each day I am reminded of Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." And while I usually don't like to wait for things, I have this daily reminder to wait upon my Lord and he does give me the strength and courage to face the rest of the day, with Him. What more could I want?