Waiting isn’t a four letter word after all…

                                                                            Waiting for New Year by Arseniy-Semyonov

I am not a patient person. Maybe you understand?

Waiting has never been a character trait I have embraced.

Even as a small child, I was on the go. Ask my mom, they called me the “go, go, girl” even when I was in my mom’s belly.

The positive side: I have a high capacity to get things done.

The negative side: I am highly irritated with waiting.

In a conversation with my husband, I was expressing my (irrational) annoyance about having to wait for something I wanted to happen. I felt helpless in the situation. The finish line was nowhere in sight and what I really wanted was to have it magically delivered on my doorstep, not today BUT, yesterday.

I wanted patience to get it into gear, or maybe I wanted patience to reverse. It is hard to tell. I just know, I wanted patience to ACT NOW!

In his wisdom, my husband said to me: “Angela, waiting is not a four letter word.” Perplexed, I said: “What four letter word are you thinking of.”

He said:

“LAZY!”

As it turns out, my husband is right.

Waiting is not defined as lazy, stagnate, halted, wasted time, or in limbo. Waiting is actually active.

Read the following scriptures and circle the activity that is taking place in the waiting:

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation” (Ps 5:3).

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield” (Ps 33:20).

“Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land” (Ps 37:34).

“I wait for you, O Lord; will you answer, O Lord my God” (Ps 38:15).

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa 40:31 KJV).

Pivoting my thinking to match God’s definition has encourage me to stay in the game when it seemed easier to give up.

Here is one last scripture to encourage your day:

Philippians 3:13-14 (VOICE)

“Brothers and sisters, as I said, I know I have not arrived; but there’s one thing I am doing: I’m leaving my old life behind, putting everything on the line for this mission. I am sprinting toward the only goal that counts: to cross the line, to win the prize, and to hear God’s call to resurrection life found exclusively in Jesus the Anointed.”