Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Learning to wait

How often do we have to wait for anything anymore?

Food - just as long as it take us to drive thru
Rides - we have our own cars, so we don't wait for anyone
Prescriptions - we call them in and they're ready when we get to the pharmacy
Answers - Wiki or Google it

Which is why it's so hard for me to be patient when I'm waiting on God. I want instantaneous answers...immediate solutions...live coverage. I'm full of ideas...if there's a problem, I can give you 4 different ways to solve it. I don't want to sit around and talk, let's just do it! But, what if God has something better in mind?

One of our daughters is always full of questions. We watch TV or ride in the car and there are always 20 million "why" questions. Though we love helping her connect the dots and learn, a favorite phrase in our house lately has been, "watch and listen". Watch the tv show and listen to the context...it will make sense. Watch what your sister is doing and listen to what she says...you'll be able to do the same thing.

I'm starting to wonder if God wants to say the same to me. "Quit getting ahead of what I'm doing....watch and listen....see where I'm working and it will all make sense!"

I've got some things rolling around in my head....some big, some small....but I don't want to take a step until I see God in it. That doesn't mean I stay on the sideline, paralyzed with fear. It means I ask God where he's at in the situation, and I watch expectantly and wait patiently for the answer.

How many times have I pushed ahead with my own plans and missed out on something breathtaking? It may not happen as quickly as I'd like, but I'm confident there will be a better result.

What do you need to wait on?

2 comments:

elisa said...

What a great post. I was just thinking some similar things yesterday. God has been working in me and I feel really silly. So many times He has met my needs and wants after me whining and complaining about the waiting. Here I am "waiting" on a court date and to go get our little one and I'm reminded that He has the ultimate control. I need to understand that I have done my part and I need to rely on Him to finish it. Yet, I'm still human, striving for perfection, to be more like Him. The great thing is, I'm still on a journey and still learning.

Dr. Sarah said...

Gretchen. . .I struggle with this constantly. Patience is NOT one of my gifts. In fact, God's sense of humor shined through, yet again, when we discovered that the little girl in our new referral is named "Patience." I guess He's LITERALLY giving me Patience! :-)

 This quote was part of my Lectio365 Sabbath devotion this morning, and as I considered what this day should look like, I began considering ...