“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu
We are not very good in the waiting department, are we? Look at babies and young children. I have never seen one of them, when told to wait, coolly and calmly say, “Why, yes, of course, you’re right. How silly of me. I’ll be more than happy to wait for what I want.” No. Instead, a caution to wait is usually met with some kind of outburst if not a downright tantrum.
As we get older, our willingness to wait does not really develop well. We might learn to mask our feelings — anger, frustration, impatience — when told to wait; but, the feelings are still very much there, attempting to bubble to the surface.
We can see that at play all around us in regard to the stay-in-place orders by most of the governors in our country. There are those who are tired of hearing the word “wait” and who are having their own little tantrums. They are organizing protests where they gather with many other like-minded individuals to demand a lift to the stay-in-place. All they are doing, especially in some of the hotbed areas of the country, is potentially exposing others to the virus. They really do need to learn to wait.
Many are waiting for events that might never happen. Seniors in high school or college are lamenting the loss of proms, graduations, and other end-of-the-year events. Depending upon when the country comes out of its stay-in-place and begins to allow larger gatherings, they may have already moved on to the next stage of their lives.
There is much uncertainty in our lives right now. Because of that, we want certain things. We want a return to normalcy. We want to feel free again. We want to go where we want when we want. But, we have to wait.
I often wonder how Jesus felt when He tried to teach His followers what to do and they turned around and did the opposite. How many times did they — do we — stretch His patience to infinity and beyond? Jesus is perfectly patient with us. We might ask Him to share His secret with us so that we may emulate His patience as well.
Wait with confidence. And, as you wait, turn to the Lord for the strength, help, and guidance that you need. He has never failed us and He never will fail us.
FAITH ACTION: Ask God to give you the patience that you need to deal with your daily situations, with those around you, and with yourself.