Waiting

He had been without work for a couple of months. It was hard getting by, but he was managing. There had been some job interviews. One had called him back for the second round. He was hopeful. Waiting made him anxious and nervous. He just wished they would decide. All he could do . . . was wait.

Tests tests, and more tests. His life seeming filled with tests. It seemed they wanted everything--blood, urine, breathing tests, x-rays, CT scans. If you could dream of something, they would test it. Waiting for the results was the hard part. He could feel the cancer in his body. He knew it was taking its toll. He could feel the medicine attack it. Hoping, praying the medicine would win and beat the cancer. All he could do . . . was wait.

She was huge with child--at least that is how she felt. Her feet were an unknown sight to her with her belly expanding in front of her. Getting in or out of a chair was awkward at best and in need of a crane to assist most of the time. She could feel their child doing somersaults, stretching, kicking, and constantly shifting trying to find more space. She could hardly wait to count fingers and toes, to breathe in that precious baby smell and finally to hold in her arms. As she ached to cradle this child in her arms, she knew life would never be the same. All she could do . . . was wait.

She could see the struggle warring within his soul. The call of God was alluring . . . yet so was the world. He had grown up in the family of a pastor. He knew of the long work days, the joys and sorrows, the toll it took on the family. Yet God whispered to his heart, calling him to care for others the way a shepherd cares for his sheep. Accepting God's call meant returning to school (not his favorite thing to do) to prepare. It would mean sacrifice for his wife and soon to be born child. Maybe it would be easier just working at a regular job. God continued to whisper to his heart. The first step was to go back to college. He could prepare, pray, and discern God's call. All he could do . . . was wait.

We live in a society of instants . . . live coverage of news around the world, connecting for face-to-face conversation via skype, type in a few words to a computer and get more information that you could sort through in days. We grow impatient waiting for results . . . waiting for answers . . . waiting for others. Our society teaches that we can have it all--right now--there is no need to wait. Yet some things don't happen in an instant. For some things we have to wait. They are out of our control. All we can do . . . is wait.

God knows about waiting. God took time to create all that is. To our minds, it was fast, quick, instantaneous, but to God there was an order, a time, and a place for all of creation. God gives us time to seek, to question, to explore, to learn, to fail, to get up again . . . and God waits. Gently revealing God's self to us . . . lovingly calling us . . . eternally seeking us, God waits for us to seek God and follow God's ways.

Patient and loving God, thank you for waiting for us. Thank you for giving us the time we need to turn to you. Thank you for showing us your ways; loving and trusting us to walk with you. You could do so much more that wait, but because of your love for us . . . you are willing to wait. So be it. Amen.