Okay, there are lots of really hard parts about waiting, just in general. But especially when you’re waiting on something really, really good.
Through the last half of 2015, I was living in a constant state of uncertainty, waiting for the word to come that my paperwork had been approved and we could start making plans to move to the Nashville area. It took until May of 2016 before that word finally came. Prior to that, Emily and I had been waiting for four years on… well, something. We didn’t really know what. We had a feeling that God had something specific in the works for us, but we had to wait.
And wait.
And waaaaaait.
Waiting is not easy, as Gerald reminded us at least once a week when our kids were small.
Why is it So Difficult to Wait?
I want the instant experience, the immediate gratification. But rarely do I get to experience that. Instead, I have to wait.
Yet, this, as I’m so quick to forget, is a gift from God—a means by which the fruit of the Spirit (specifically, patience) is nurtured in me. God does not make me wait because he is withholding anything good from me. On the contrary, God is a good Father who gives good gifts to his children. But because he is good, he doesn’t do this on our timetables or our understanding of what is “good.” He gives us what is best for us, according to his purposes.
Why Waiting is Good for Us
This means that we might spend years living in a state of uncertainty from one point of view. We might wonder if we’ll ever get the job we’re hoping for or meet the right person to marry. During this life, we’ll get some to experience and enjoy some of the things we’re waiting on, but not all. Some will be deeply satisfying, but many will fall short. Some of the things we’re waiting on, we won’t see before the new creation comes (if even there).1
The hardest part of waiting isn’t waiting. It’s knowing that it is the best thing for me. Because in it, he is calling us to draw near to himself, and to rely on him as our ultimate source of satisfaction, comfort, and joy.
- At which point, they won’t really matter all that much. ↩︎
