Life in the Waiting Room

Hurry up and wait. The waiting is the hardest part. Wait for it. Whatever your favorite lines from movies and songs and life in general, there are a lot that are about waiting; probably because waiting is such a difficult thing to do. I have often said that if I had wanted patience, I would have been a doctor. Waiting is not something that is easy for us to do, and yet, it is something that we have to do whether we like it or not.

In our instant world of having things right away (I would rather buy something that I can download than have to go to the store or even worse, wait for it to be delivered) in this world, waiting is not something that comes naturally or easily. But what is the point?

Answer: I don't know. But I do know this. That in waiting, we can learn to see our God in a whole new light. Because if our waiting is waiting for him or waiting on him, then as we wait, we are learning about who he is and how he loves and cares for people. Just because God may not give us what we want, when we want it, that does not mean that he is uninvolved or that he is ignoring us. It could be that he is trying to teach or something, especially as it relates to depending on him and having him be the most important thing in our lives.

There is one more piece to this. We are not to wait idly. That is, while we are waiting, for whatever we happen to be waiting for, we are not to be doing nothing while we wait. Neither are we to be about seeking after selfish motives. But instead, while we wait we are to be about the work that God has given us to do. Maybe we are waiting so that we are better able to serve and love our neighbor in the mean time. Maybe we are waiting, because in that waiting there is an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel in word and or deed. Maybe we are waiting so that we can help connect another person to God's love, grace, mercy and forgiveness that come from no other place that Jesus Christ.

When we look at it from that perspective, suddenly life in the waiting room is not all that bad.

Advent is a season of waiting. And while we are waiting for Christmas and waiting for Jesus to come back, I pray that in this time of waiting, God would draw us closer to himself and that he would give us opportunities to share is love, grace, mercy and forgiveness with others. God bless you this week and always.

 

Sincerely,

Pastor CJ