We are probably all familiar with the statement, “hurry up and wait.” I have always assumed that it means that one is forced to spend a long time waiting. For example, you would hurry to get your portion of the assigned task completed only to find out that upon you having done what has been asked of you, you then must wait on someone else to get their portion of the task finished before the whole thing is completed! And they usually are not in a hurry to get their portion done. God forbid that they have issues with procrastination! I almost get a headache just thinking about it.
We live in such a fast-paced world! If I am in the slow lane and I’m driving the speed limit, the person behind me is riding my bumper to force me to speed up! As a society, we go through the drive-thru and get irritated when they tell us to pull up, park and a server will bring our food out to us in a few minutes. I wonder if our little ones realize that mashed potatoes did not always come out of a box. The potatoes had to be planted, watched over while they grew. Then dug up when fully grown. Then washed, peeled, cut up and boiled. Then they were mashed and had butter, salt and maybe pepper added to them. A tasty helping of mashed potatoes took time, but was always worth the wait. And how about the fact that water did not always come out of a bottle. There also was a time when you had to either go down to the river with a bucket to get water or get it from a well! It certainly took a little more time.
For the next few weeks, I will be blogging on patience. Patience is a virtue that we could all use a wee bit more of. I know I could. Let’s just dive right in! Shall we? Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; [1] or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties, or being able to wait for a long amount of time without getting irritated or bored. Patience is the level of endurance one can have before disrespect. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. [1] Today, let’s dissect perseverance in the face of delay. Delay is that period when something appears to be late or stalled or postponed. There is a very popular saying, “Delay does not mean denial.” So many times, in my life I have found that to be so true. It is usually the case when I have prayed for a thing, standing in faith believing and days, months and sometimes years go by and nothing. Or so I think. I must encourage myself that God heard me. And that He is working some things out before the answer arrives. Sometimes His answer is just, “wait a while.” I must understand that patience must be developed in me if I am to be truly affective in what I need to do and to be successful at it.
Now here are a few things that can be done during the waiting period.
· Practice being patient. Realize what you do when you become impatient and strive to do the opposite. This may not look the same for everyone. You are unique. Maybe get an accountability partner who will tell you the truth with love. Someone who will act as your sounding board and can be trusted with your emotions.
· Be positive. Do the best you can to speak positively concerning what you are waiting for. Check in with the Father regularly. Ask for guidance while you are waiting. I am convinced that obedience shortens the wait time.
· Be prepared. Realize that the answer may not come exactly as you imagine it will. Surrender to the will of the Father. “Father knows best!”
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patience
