Waiting can be a painful process depending on what you are waiting for in your life. Waiting in line at the grocery store to pay for your goods compared to waiting for a call to know if you got the job can be quite different. Regardless of the reason for the wait, it can be hard to do, and sometimes emotionally painful. I have been there. I have learned that the waiting period is very crucial. How we wait can mould our character, or reveal it! For instance, do we become irritable and frustrated, taking out our emotions on others, un-necessarily, or are we gracious in our wait – keeping a calm demeanour and remain pleasant. Admittedly, I have experience with both ends of this continuum. May I suggest that reflection on Psalm 27:14 can help to root us in our wait so that we keep strong in the waiting period (and not fall apart). May I also suggest that staying strong in the wait can help us to stay in control of emotions, keep our peace, and stay in faith and wait for God’s perfect timing. I think waiting teaches us patience and teaches us gratitude. I have found that while waiting for something, focusing on what I have balances the frustration and other feelings associated with the wait. I also think waiting teaches intentionality. For example, if you are waiting to buy a house or a car; or to go into post-secondary education; or to even find a spouse, while you wait, there are different activities/tasks/things that can be done during this time to prepare for the very thing that you are praying about and waiting for in life. For example, you may have a financial strategy to save more money, take extra courses to boost your overall average, you may change your environment to increase the odds of meeting someone new. I recognize that it is a lot easier to say (and in this case to write) than it is to do in practice depending on what you are waiting for in life. I assure you, again, I have been there.
I write of this to say, truthfully, as a reminder to myself, God’s timing is perfect and waiting does not have to be all-so-bad, it can be time well spent in preparation for a bigger purpose and plan that God has for you and for me. I think that we can see in the Bible that waiting can be used as season for preparation – we see this with Moses, David and perhaps, even Ester. If you find yourself in a season of waiting right now, God’s timing is perfect, bring it to God in prayer, and be strong and bold in your wait. It does not have to break you, in fact, it can transform you and position you for something greater than you imagined.
God Bless,
Gwendolyn