One of my least favorite things to do in life is wait. It begins when we’re children, just dying for Christmas to finally arrive. And it never really stops, does it? We’re always anxiously awaiting something. Positive things – like weddings, anniversaries, graduations, the birth of a new baby, surprise parties we’ve been planning for months. But also negative things – like waiting for blood test results, waiting for a friend to be healed or to pass, waiting to hear if you failed an exam.
Waiting is hard. It stretches us beyond our normal lengths. It grows us in ways we might not prefer to grow. It builds anticipation, and then often lets us down. Waiting. Frankly, it sucks.
We live in a society that wants everything instantly. We have fast food drive thru, and now we even have the ability at multiple establishments to order our food on our phones so it will be ready when we arrive. Because waiting for even five minutes is just. too. difficult.
And I’m guilty of the same thing. I don’t like to wait. I appreciate a good, fast moving drive thru line. I have been known to do those mobile orders ahead so I can just run in and take two seconds and not really connect with any one person more than that.
But yet, that is not the life we are called to live. I’m feeling a lot of conviction over that lately – my lack of ability to wait. The Justin Graves Band song “Wait for the Lord” is playing itself like a broken record in my mind, and ironically, I haven’t even listened to it in a couple months. Conviction. God knows how to get thru to us… He really does!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 are some very famous verses. Even secular artists refer frequently to these prophetic words. And yet, we rarely really take them to heart. Have you ever REALLY sat down and read those words? It’s a run down of what science calls “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Thank you, Mr. Newton… for reframing what the Bible had told us generations before. Both Solomon and Newton were extremely wise men, who were absolutely right. Our problem today is that we want everything quick – without taking the time to do the opposite. Sometimes there is a time to wait.
Right now I have a horrendous amount of fire ant bites on my feet. That wait – between getting the bites, and the pain and itching and burning two days later – that wait was bliss. I knew the pain was coming. But I had these few moments of fleeting hope that maybe this time… maybe THIS time they wouldn’t hurt. Well, then, this morning, here is that pain. The old familiar burn and itch. And now the other waiting begins – the waiting for the burn and itch to go away. Because it will. I know that this pain is only temporary. It won’t last forever.
Waiting between our two children for that positive pregnancy test… and the ultrasound to confirm a healthy life. That was a hard wait. Twice we got part of the equation. And twice our hearts were broken when there was no healthy life. But we waited. And in that waiting, I admit I did a lot of fighting with God. I told Him all about my time table. And then, suddenly, in what now seems like just a short little time, we were pregnant. And this time it was our Grayson. He was healthy. He was kicking early, and I suddenly had this great reminder that God is in control, and He has a very special plan – and timing! – for our lives.
Flash forward. Suddenly, that little baby we waited SO LONG (not really!) for is THREE years old! And he doesn’t like to wait. For anything. He whines. He cries. He pulls out his Mr. Sass and uses that attitude toward anyone who makes him wait – for anything. Heck, he’ll even get in front of me and stop when I’m walking and don’t pick him up fast enough. Because he is a child. Selfish, and unable to wait on my timing. He doesn’t understand when my answer is “no.” He certainly doesn’t understand when my answer is “not right now.” And yet, how much the same I am with God!
Watching Gray in his frustration, and then going back and reading the words of King David in many of his Psalms, I know that waiting is hard. It always has been, and it always will be. It’s not easy. And yet, we are called to wait on the Lord. We are called to wait, to trust, and also to hope. And honestly, I think we are called to do those three things not because they are easy, but rather because they are difficult. They build character. Leaning on faith in the unknown is difficult. It’s hard. It’s AGONIZING!!! But in the end, we will have learned, and grown just a little bit stronger. Our faith in God will be enhanced.
These two verses from Psalm speak so much to my heart right now. I see the humanness of David, and yet, look at all God was able to do in and through his life, and through his descendants! How much He can do through me, when I put my hope in His words!
And then, the song comes to me, “Soar” by Meredith Andrews. He has made these promises to us, and He is a promise keeper. We just have to wait. And in that waiting, we find Him there, lifting us up on wings like eagles to soar. You may find yourself feeling like a pigeon – just waiting for a speck of food on the sidewalk. But friend, remember – He has promised to lift us up to be eagles. The wait isn’t that long. It isn’t that hard. You can do this. You can soar. It’s hard – the waiting. We wait for the morning like watchmen who are nervously jumping at every shadow. But when that morning comes, it’s gonna be the most amazing sunrise you can imagine! Take heart, my friend! He has overcome the darkest nights, and His mercies are new every single morning. And that morning WILL come. It will. The wait may seem long. But take heart – while we wait, we can soar!
Butterbees and Bumbleflies 