Waiting on the World to Change.

WAIT.

A powerful 4 letter word that consumes my life. I am waiting for the school year to begin, I am waiting to go places and travel, I am waiting to make friends, I am waiting...etc. You get the picture? We are waiting for Jesus to come--now that is a BIG one.

Why do I have such a hard time waiting? Because I lack patience and this world doesn't offer very many opportunities for us to practice it. We live in a world of "instant gratification" and the results need to happen as soon as possible or else our attention moves elsewhere. Maybe I shouldn't stereotype and assume that everyone else struggles with my issue of waiting. I remember as a little girl my father telling me to wait on something and I would say dramatically "I CAN'T!" and he would say "This will teach you patience...". I am here to tell you that I still haven't learned the lesson and I am afraid I never will. I am still waiting to acquire this virtue, ironically enough.

The truth is, in all my eagerness to begin I fail to value the time I have in my hands while I wait. Where as I should be taking all this time I have to prepare and anticipate I fail because I am too busy "waiting". Once the anticipated time finally arrives am I prepared? Do I find myself fully geared or sitting in a chair thumping my foot on the floor counting the seconds passing? We often miss the beauty of the waiting period in which we can dream, hope, & prepare for what is to come. Are we waiting for opportunities, people, or situations to fall into our lap or are we preparing for when they do?

I think that this can apply to so many different aspects of our life; love, romance, friendships, events, & even retirement. We need to take advantage of every second and learn to embrace the moments of waiting. I need to soak in the joys and prepare for what is to come.

Right now I am waiting for SO MANY THINGS. I will not sit here and tell you that I have learned the beautiful art of waiting & preparing. Unfortunately, I am afraid I am not as fully prepared as I should be for what I am waiting for. So here is my ambition--to wait on the Lord  & be fully prepared so when the moment arises I will be able to stand firmly with my hands in the air ready to say "LET'S GO!".

"I waited patiently on the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1