Thursday, May 6, 2010

Enjoy your wait...

Okay, I will admit it. I am impatient. I want what I want NOW! I don't like to wait for food to cook, bread to rise, cakes to cool, or just about anything else. I walk QUICKLY everywhere I go. I run to get ahead. I live life in the fast lane because I just don't want to miss a thing! How many times do I find myself saying things like, "I just can't wait until...."  And I don't think I'm alone. We are all running in this human race trying to get....where?

Lately, however, I've been thinking a lot about waiting. In Isaiah 40:31 it says, "those who wait upon the Lord will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."

Teach me Lord to wait. For in the waiting, if we will look, we will realize we are not waiting alone. God is there. He has provided moments just for us, if only we can slow down enough to see them. While sitting at the red light waiting for traffic, do I notice the color of the sky or hear the sound of a song that calms my spirit? While waiting in line at the bank, did I see the beauty of the faces around me...or see those who needed a smile. Did I share one with them? While waiting for my children after school, did I stop to see the beauty in their faces? While waiting for my meal, did I take the time to laugh with my family? What did I do during my "waits?"

Like it or not, life is full of waiting. It only goes quickly during the moments you wish would last forever. But it's in the in-between times when God gently whispers our name and, if we are listening, we can realize that we are walking with Him. Why would anyone want to get in a hurry if they were walking with God? Think about it. When the disciples were walking with Jesus, did they feel the need to rush or did they realize they were right where they needed to be....with the Son of God? Did the road seem long, or did time pass without even being noticed because they were in His company? Did they realize those moments of waiting would come to an end so soon? Do I?

I don't know if I will ever learn to really enjoy the wait, but I want to learn to enjoy the moments I have been given, no matter where I am. I want to recognize it when God sends a "wink" my way. I want to hear His voice along the way. I want to live each moment recognizing that God is there with me....yes, even in the wait...for in the wait, I really have nothing better to do than to focus on Him...now do I?

Psalm 33:20 - 22 "We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you."
Isaiah 26:8 "Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."
Isaiah 30:18 "Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"
Jude 1:21 "Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."

No comments: