The Problem With Waiting
The problem with waiting is a fascinating emotional state. If you really think about it, showing impatience demonstrates your expectations about things – and whether or not those expectations are being met. When you are impatient with someone you are, in effect, saying: You are not matching up to my demands about how you ‘should’ be.
Impatience demonstrates the edge of your internal map of the world. It is where you say: “This is where my limits are. This is where I draw the line. God gives patience as the first ingredient of love in the famous First Corinthians 13 passage. You know: ‘love is patient, love is kind etc’
Years ago photo booths used to be popular in stores and malls. You could slip inside the photo booth with a friend, or several friends, and get some quick pictures for a small price. You’d get inside the booth, close the curtain, get yourselves into position, and when you’re ready, insert the money to start to photographs.
The Hard Part
SNAP! Change positions quickly and SNAP! Change once more and another SNAP! You move rapidly to a new pose and hear the final SNAP! Four poses and four pictures. Then comes the hard part. You step out of the booth to wait for that little strip of pictures to drop through the slot and into the wire pocket on the side of the booth. Getting the pictures taken was the fun part, but waiting was hard. Knowing the photos had been taken, it was natural to be anxious to see the results, but the wait seemed so long.
Sometimes when things seem to be moving ahead rapidly in my life and God is obviously working, I hear His still small voice saying, “Wait!” I’m ready to move on to the next project or plan and God says, No, not now. That isn’t what I want to hear! I fear that if I wait, the thing will be forgotten. I worry that putting it off will only allow some obstacle to keep it from happening, and I won’t get what I want . . . or by the time I get it, I won’t want it. Thus, the problem with waiting.
God Knows
Throughout my life I learned some hard lessons. Those times when God chose not to answer my prayers right away in my own timing. I need to take the focus off of my agenda and simply focus on Him. This is when I know that He loves and cares for me and I trust that He will care for me in His timing as He knows what is best for me.
Because He is faithful, I can wait knowing that in His own time and His own way, He will accomplish what is good. Yes, He will come through for me. Because He is faithful, I can wait.
“Lord, when my impatience, immaturity, and impulsiveness are straining to go beyond where I am now, help me to see your face and remember Your faithfulness, and fearlessly wait for You to work”.
Dealing With Impatience
