The Burden of the Long Wait

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Introduction

As it were, this will be the first post made here in several months. The title of this particular discourse is both descriptive of this fact and of the thought I have in mind currently. This idea of waiting is not something that is looked on nicely by polite society in our current age. With that said, this seems to be an aspect missing from our modern world, the ability to wait. What does it mean to wait? What good does it do me to wait? I'm not sure but what I do know is that there is value in waiting.

Image result for waiting for god pics

The Will to Wait

Waiting seems to be that thing no one has the will to do. So, having lost this overall positive disposition towards waiting, what has that done to the general psyche of the common man? Well, in short, it has nearly eliminated our ability to cope with drastically boring periods in life or those periods where nothing seems to be happening. For example, currently, I have been submitting my resume for different jobs because I have a desire to advance since I have a Master's degree. This process has been going on now for about 18 months and I have had no major break towards finding a better, more suitable job. There have been times during this time where I have lost all patience and became down on myself for not nailing down a better position. The one feature that has kept me moving towards an endpoint is my timing is not what all this is based on but rather God's (2 Peter 3:8). I believe there needs to be a repentance back to the virtue of waiting. By doing this we not only align with God's intended goal/ purpose but we also gain a stronghold over the focus of our own will.

The Drive to Wait

Much of the problem (generally speaking) is that many of us are comfortable with having quick access or quick answers to the things we want or need. There is nothing like needing groceries and driving five minutes to the store and grabbing those items that you need/ want. However, many of us do not realize there are people out there that must take a few to potentially several hours out of their day just to get the water they need for the day. This is an astounding thought! Waiting takes drive and it is rather sad that we only have enough drive to get to a comfortable position and then we coast. Coasting is not something we should be thinking about but rather running the race until it is complete and we are as Christ-like as possible (Hebrews 12:1). Though some may think that getting to the point of success they have envisioned takes the greatest amount of drive, it is really the patience of waiting for your success to manifest that takes the most amount of drive!

The Payoff of Waiting

Let us just get this out of the way...Waiting stinks and no one likes it. However, it could be one of the best teachers man could know. Just think of all the places you wait...the store, on the phone, at work or for work (i.e. looking for a job), traffic, etc. If we were to make a chart of all the time we spent waiting, how would that chart look? Mostly full I would say. How do most of us spend that time waiting? Do we think deeply about matters or do we utilize that time to get to know someone new? Do we think about how waiting is horrible and not what your life is about or do we think that waiting could turn out to be a blessing disguise? Plenty of people spend those moments of waiting nose deep in a phone that does not regurgitate any value. There is a reason the saying goes, "just killing some time."

I am a fan of killing time but in our current modern era we are not only killing it but we are murdering it without prejudice and at an alarming rate which makes some world issues seem like fairytales (let me state, I do not think world issues are minor things, I am simply being hyperbolic to make a point). Learning to wait is a skill and it can pay dividends in the end. The person that learns to wait can gain knowledge by studying during that time. The person who decides to make conversation gains relationship, even if just for a short time. The person who spends that time in prayer gains a deeper spiritual connection to God (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 verse 17 mainly). The person who learns to simply wait will gain patience. All I am trying to say is that the art of waiting is nearly dead and I think without a thought approach back to this wonderful teacher, things will begin to look rather bleak.

Conclusion

Waiting, though difficult, can have massive benefits to your overall health, mental agility, and spiritual depth. Do not allow the typical, want it now, have it now mentality to creep in and take captive your mind and time. Allow the presence of waiting to mold you into a more productive and mindful person. All things come to an end and at some point, waiting will too, so allow it to be your dedicated teacher while you still have the chance. God Bless!!

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