To be patient is to wait. But for me, "wait" has been a dirty, miserable, four-letter word for most of my life.
You see, I was a card-carrying member of the instant gratification club. Like Violet in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I wanted an Oompa Loompa, and I wanted it NOW.
Only recently--this year, in fact--have I been willing to disengage my impatient spirit and quietly wait upon the LORD's perfect timing.
It took a brother in Christ and compassionate leader to teach me this lesson. Jim has gone on before me in this battle. He wrestled with God in solitude for years, doing the work of faith and obedience until this truth was revealed in his own life.
When it came time to impart this wisdom to me, Jim stood resolutely and quietly through my chest-pounding, childish storms of angst and misery as I wailed for things that were clearly not yet in God's timing. Jim held his ground until I exhausted myself, then knelt beside me and gently began sharing the truth about the beauty of waiting on God.
I didn't want to listen to his words.
"Live in the moment. Relish what you have right now... don't waste a minute longing for what you do not yet have. Thank God for everything--all of it--today, whether it is provision, position, possessions, or relationships. Focus on His goodness. Embrace the abundance. Appreciate it. This is God's perfect will for you, right now. It is His best. If you don't have something, He knows that this person, place, thing, or experience you are longing for will not edify you yet--perhaps never will. Trust Him. Thank Him. Be at peace. Be still and reflect.
Kay, we are experiencing a banquet of God's wonderful Providence before us. Don't run past the other delightful dishes on the table in your haste to get to the dessert. The dessert is only a very small part of the meal. These other marvelous delights that have been uncovered and offered to us are nourishing, filling, and wonderfully tasty in their own right. Enjoy these for a season."
He was right.
I am thankful for the forty miles between us at this season in our lives and the limited amount of time we have to be together. I am grateful for this seemingly endless "Saturday" in our relationship, where we must focus first on the continuing needs of the young people we are still raising. I am committed to wait with more patience, grace, trust. I will have faith in what I cannot yet see, and I will not hurry past the abundance that has already been placed for me.
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