How many of you like to wait for things you want in life? Do you know that waiting develops patience when we let it have its way in our lives and understand that we can’t have everything we want immediately?
Patience is a virtue of which I have very little. Anyone who knows me would never describe me as a patient person.
However, as the saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait.”
Learning to wait begins very early in our lives. As kids, we have to wait for many of the things we ask our parents for. I rarely got what I asked for because my parents never had extra money to spend.
As a parent, I too had to explain to our girls that we didn’t have enough money in the bank to buy them all they wanted. They often waited until Christmas or birthdays to get extra things.
Back when our youngest daughter was around ten years old, she wanted a pair of Guess jeans. In those days, we didn’t have the extra money to buy name brand clothing of any kind. She wanted what all her friends had and didn’t understand what being on a tight budget meant.
She begged for Guess Jeans, and every time I would listen and reply with the same answer – “We do not have enough money to buy Guess Jeans.”
Her constant asking exasperated me, so I finally told her that she could earn enough money to buy the jeans. I’m not sure whether it was my idea or hers, but we made chocolate chip cookies and sold them to the neighbors. After driving around the neighborhood to sell the cookies, she had $25! That was a BIG deal!
I took her to the mall to find a pair of GuessJeans, but it turned out, $25 wasn’t enough.
So, we prayed and asked God to help us find a pair on sale.
We looked in every department store to no avail. My daughter was upset, and I was disappointed. After waiting and then working so hard, she now had to go home without the jeans.
As we were leaving, I kept my eyes open for any sale racks we might have missed and saw one with a bunch of jeans. We ran to the rack and found her size Guess Jeans on sale for $24.99
The moment was priceless. Her eyes said it all. She was in disbelief, and I was relieved. We both knew God heard her prayer and honored her effort to wait for something she wanted so badly.
Not getting what we want when we want it can be disappointing, but it’s an incredible tool to learn the art of waiting. In our “microwave society,” we want instant gratification. Waiting has become a lost art.
There are other things we wait for:
- Waiting for prayers to be answered
- Waiting for the time when you conquer your addiction
- Waiting for the child you desire so deeply
- Waiting for the time when you finally overcome a great struggle
- Waiting for a healthy relationship with your family
- Waiting for the promise
Waiting is necessary for our emotional and spiritual growth.
Many stories in the Bible show people waiting for the promises God gave them. Noah, Abraham, and the children of Israel (to name a few) all had to wait.
Very often waiting helps grow our character and build the patience muscles that help us embrace satisfaction for what we currently have.
Patience means to “Bear pains or trials calmly without complaint. Manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain.”
I have not passed that test completely. Too often, while I’m waiting, I find myself asking why God hasn’t answered a particular prayer.
I do know, however, that waiting has made me a more patient person. My asking has become less, and satisfaction has become stronger.
My life verse is, “I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me up out of a slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire. He put my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm foundation to stand on. He put a new song in my heart, a hymn of praise to my God. Many will see and hear and put their trust in the Lord.”
As you learn the art of waiting, remember to develop patience with yourself and God.
