Have you ever been to a theme park and stood in line for a ride in summer? It’s hot and sticky, and you get a whiff of someone who probably didn’t wear deodorant that day. The clock ticks away but the line never seems to move. You’re getting hungry and you suddenly realize you should have stopped by the restroom before you got in line.
You could leave but you’ve invested so much time and you wonder if you can make it to the bathroom and rejoin your friends without anyone getting upset because they think you’re breaking. It’s absolutely a lesson in patience.
Waiting affects all of us at some time or another. If you pay close enough attention, you may realize you’re waiting on something or someone pretty much every day.
Of course there is a big difference between waiting in the drive-thru for a coffee and waiting on test results for a medical procedure, or waiting to hear from someone you haven’t talked to in a while. These times are called seasons of waiting. If you’ve never experienced a season of waiting, don’t worry you will.
No guarantees
Why are these seasons difficult? Even when we are waiting on something we think is good, it can be tough. It might be because we are never guaranteed it will go our way. We don’t know what’s on the other side.
Life is funny like that. You can plan all you want but there is never a guarantee on anything. At times I have found myself in these seasons feeling paralyzed and full of anxiety of not knowing the outcome.
Looking back, I realize worrying about the unknown did not change the outcome and did nothing to make it better. But it did harm my health and hurt relationships with family and friends.
If you find yourself in a season of waiting, don’t be discouraged because everyone does at some point. But a season of waiting should not mean we hide in a corner until the storm is over.
Pray and trust
It means opening your heart to pray and trust God with the outcome. It means sharing with a trusted friend or family member about what you’re going through. And as difficult as it might be it also means having a heart of gratitude, which is a reminder of the good things happening around you.
Just like the seasons in nature change, our seasons in waiting also change so don’t give up. Remember you’re not where you were, and God isn’t finished with you yet.
