The Waiting Game
Waiting is hard. It is even harder to wait with grace. We naturally do not wait well. Children crammed in the back of the family car whining "are we there yet?" are a great example of our natural impulse. Or think about the jokes at Christmas of impatient children searching the house for gifts. And there is always something to wait for…a call, a friend, the mail, or a meal. We wait in lines, at lights, and for the show to start. Some waiting is just a moment or has a clear end. It is possible to endure because we know it will end and most of the time the waiting is worthwhile.
But what about waiting as a season in total uncertainty? When we are waiting on God and there is no direction, no clear answer, and no clear time period. For Abraham it was waiting for a promise, for me it is waiting to return overseas, for some it could be a job change, a baby, or something else entirely. How does one wait indefinitely? The Sunday school answer pass out is often, "cling to Jesus." Which is true, but the same people will then ask about future plans. I listened to a married friend this week who would love to be a mother but God just hasn’t let it happen. Her biggest frustration was "nosey people who assume too much and give silly suggestions."
There doesn’t seem to be any easy solutions. Often it is a matter of ‘letting go and letting God’ but what that looks like is different with each person. I love my life, my church, and my ministries, but there is a part of me that longs to go again. I’m in a season of waiting. How have you gotten through a time of waiting?
But what about waiting as a season in total uncertainty? When we are waiting on God and there is no direction, no clear answer, and no clear time period. For Abraham it was waiting for a promise, for me it is waiting to return overseas, for some it could be a job change, a baby, or something else entirely. How does one wait indefinitely? The Sunday school answer pass out is often, "cling to Jesus." Which is true, but the same people will then ask about future plans. I listened to a married friend this week who would love to be a mother but God just hasn’t let it happen. Her biggest frustration was "nosey people who assume too much and give silly suggestions."
There doesn’t seem to be any easy solutions. Often it is a matter of ‘letting go and letting God’ but what that looks like is different with each person. I love my life, my church, and my ministries, but there is a part of me that longs to go again. I’m in a season of waiting. How have you gotten through a time of waiting?
Comments
It's almost like having a secret that only you and God know and few people understand. So I've found the best thing to do when I'm frustrated with waiting, when I'm doubtful that things will turn out right, I just tell God how I feel. I don't deny that I'm feeling what I'm feeling. I don't discount the fact that I'm frustrated. I own it and tell Him and then say "I trust You, I love You, and You will work this out in Your time however You want it." Usually it gets me through the moment and when I'm hit with it again, I do the same thing. It continually takes me back to the only One who knows the outcome anyway.
A.T.H.