Do you like to wait? Do you agree that the best things in life are worth waiting for?
Here are some things I’ve waited for:
I waited to start school. I had to be old enough. I waited to graduate. I had to study, learn, take tests, and pass enough subjects to earn enough credits.
I waited to go to college. I had to graduate from high school and take college entrance exams. I waited to graduate, taking the right courses and earning the right number of credits.
I waited to get married, to the right man at the right time.
I waited for my babies to be born. Two were late, one was early.
I waited for my husband to be cured of cancer. By God’s lovingkindness, he was.
I waited for my children to grow up. This wait was sometimes difficult and challenging, often fun and rewarding. (I didn’t wait for the “empty nest,” but it happened anyway.)
I waited for grandchildren, a special reward for grandparents.
We all have to wait for something. We stand in line at Walmart to pay for our purchases. We wait in the waiting room to see our medical professional. We wait to buy a car or a house until we can afford it. We wait for our company to arrive. Some waits are harder than others.
Some waiting is passive. We can’t do anything. We just have to wait. Some waiting is active. We study, plan, prepare, and work toward our goal.
I’m waiting now, even as a senior adult. (sigh) This is an active wait. I’m learning about social media and marketing, and I continue to write and hopefully improve as a writer. I suppose I could say that my wait will be over when Meadowsong is released on November 20. But I’m sure that won’t be the end of waiting, although it will definitely be a milestone.
As a Christian, I believe God always answers prayer. Sometimes His answer is “yes.” What I’m praying for is in line with His will. Sometimes He says “no.” God knows that what I’m asking for is not best for me or the person I’m praying for. Sometimes He makes me wait for what I’ve requested, until I’m better prepared or will appreciate it more.
Waiting is hard, even for an adult, but the best things in life are worth waiting for.
“But those who wait on the Lord/Shall renew their strength;/They shall mount up with wings like eagles,/They shall run and not be weary,/ They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 NJKV
I like to do “active waiting.” While raising our daughters, I used times in doctors’ offices as school time. We would practice both our finger-spelling/ESL techniques and our spelling by choosing words to spell from things in the room. We used long car rides to read classics aloud or play “who can keep up with this word problem,” during which someone would begin a word problem (A farmer had two chickens, and one laid six eggs and the other five.) The trick was to keep up with the answer as the game went on. (One egg rolled out of the nest and broke, another two were taken by the farmer’s boy, but then he brought one back. If I took three eggs for breakfast, how many eggs are left?) Great ways to actively wait!