This blog was read as an introduction to our message on Adam and waiting on God.I like watching people. I'm what some would call a "people watcher". I find people fascinating. One of my favorite things to do is to find a person who is clearly waiting for something or someone and observe their waiting technique. People are horrible at waiting.
I saw a guy waiting in front of the movie theater for what I imagine was a date. He looked at his cell phone twenty-seven times in three minutes and could not stop shuffling his feet, pacing back and forth like he was running the world's shortest laps in track.
I was in a doctor's waiting room, it was just me and another guy. The waiting room is designed for waiting. What a horrible place for humans! I occupied my time nicely by watching this guy try to occupy his. I like to think that he made a challenge to himself that he could not touch and look at every single thing in that waiting room before he was called in to see the doctor. I left before he got called. I still wonder if he was successful (if you're reading this guy in doctor's office at Moody Bible Institute let me know!).
In the olden days of me being a host at a restaurant I would have tables so confused and angered by the passive activity of waiting that they would actually try and will time to go by faster. People would put their name in, I would tell them they had about a fifteen to twenty minute wait, and they would just sit there in a chair and stew until the time was up. They wouldn't say a thing, they'd just sit there concentrating on one brick on the floor, willing time to pass. Often they were only successful in making time go by faster in their own minds, not in reality. See, we had these things called clocks. And while I respect such concepts as biological clocks and internal clocks and things of this nature, I usually find digital clocks are more reliable when it comes to short periods of time, such as ten to fifteen minutes. A person would come up "Hello!!! I've been waiting like twenty five minutes! You told me my table would be ready by now!" I'd politely (what? You don't have to believe me, but its the truth!) respond "Well, we have written here that you put your name down at [such and such a time] and right now its [seven minutes past such and such a time], so you still got a good eight to thirteen minutes." And they'd walk off in a huff, doomed to wait another seven minutes to eat.
The case is built. Here is my point: We hate waiting.
I suppose its not surprising then that so often when I speak to Christians about what the Holy Spirit it teaching them they say they are learning patience.
In my own life currently "wait" seems to the be word of the day. If this were "You Can't Do That On Television" I'd be having slim dumped on my head quite often*. I pray often, presenting to God the things on my heart. He always responds. The response lately has been the same for everything:
"Wait" -God
"But, I was..."-Me
"Wait" -God
"Can't you just..." -Me
"Yes I can, but you wait." -God.
Okay, that's not really what happens. I don't hear an audible voice from God. But you get the idea. I do my best to talk my way out of having to wait and He hears none of it. Apparently what I am supposed to be doing with my life right now is waiting. I wait vigilantly, because who knows when God will lift the black curtain of wait that is in front of me. I'm not passive about it. I'm in a state of readiness. But I'm waiting.
That's boring, and not the coolest thing to tell people when they ask you what you're doing with your life.
"So you graduated college. Now what?"
"Oh man, I'm doing some really intense waiting right now! I've done some waiting in my life, but this is the most hardcore waiting I've ever done."
I try to dress it up but at the end of the day, a spade is a spade.
I don't say that to get pity. I don't want anyone's pity, I can't buy anything for it. So until the day Adidas trades pity points for shoes you can keep it. I'm saying that to show that waiting is humbling. None of us are good at it, and its hard to imagine anyone is going to understand while you're having to do it.
But when its where God has you there is no place you should rather be. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else rather than waiting on God if that is what He has me to be doing right now.
I'm learning patience in the hope that this continues to forge character and teaches me things I would not have learned otherwise. More than that I wait knowing that my life is made to bring God glory, if that is done by being a server at a local restaurant or a great writer so be it.
I am learning patience.
As I go through all this I've talked to a lot of other people who have found themselves or do find themselves in a time of waiting, whether it be for a few days or a few months or a few years.
Because I am who I am and think way too much about everything (I'm not good at waiting either, I just don't present as many physical manifestations of discomfort as others) I have been reflecting a lot on waiting.
Impatience is an epidemic. Just look around at our culture of fast food, thirty second commercials and quick editing MTV style television. Everything is designed to get us moving faster and concentrating less. We are horrible at waiting because we've been told our whole lives that waiting is a bad thing. Partly this is true, being idle can lead to all sorts of sins, but over-activity can lead to many sins itself. Its a balance, not leaning to one side or the other. Every commercial speaks about things that move faster, cook quicker, clean easier, etc. We want everything done five minutes ago.
No wonder patience is something so many people have to learn so often.
Patience is an idea as old as man.
I've been reading through the Bible with an intent to try and understand Biblical manhood.** The one thing that pops us over and over again is this idea of men having to wait. The more I reflect on it the more examples spring to mind:
Abraham waited an entire lifetime for a son, even after one had been promised to him by God Himself.
Moses waited forty years in the desert until he was directed by God to free his people.
The Israelites waiting another forty years in the desert after being freed from Egypt before they could enter the promised land.
Joseph waiting for years in prison, not even knowing what he was waiting for.
David waited fifteen years*** from the time he was prophesied to be king to the time he actually became king, and most of that time the king he would replace was trying to kill him.
Simeon (in Luke 2) waited his whole life for the promised Messiah who would save Israel, to the point where he began to lose hope.
Jesus waited thirty years before He would begin His ministry, spending those first thirty years doing whatever it is that carpenters did in northern Israel at that time.
The truth I had to come to terms with when considering all of this was that if these men can wait so long for such weighty, life altering things, I can wait for the things that I want. The Lord knows those who are His. And He know the desires of our hearts... He gave us the desires of our hearts! But those will be brought about in His time, not ours. And they will be brought about for His glory, not for our own personal satisfaction. We wait because we can trust that God's timing is better than our own.
So for now I'm gonna wait vigilantly for whatever it is that comes next.
*What? Too old of a reference? Well then how about Sesame Street? They had a word of the day celebration right? How about some audience participation. What was your favorite show that had a word of the day bit?
**I know it might sound silly, but I'm beginning to think this may be of more worth than all the self help books on being a man, etc. I'm going straight to the source!
***This is an approximation, I don't have any books in front of me to verify this information. Forgive me, its late. If you know the actual amount of time please tell me and I'll fix it.
