In a culture marked by instant messaging, fast food, and Quickie Loans we value immediate action. We do not just enjoy the luxury of it, we have come to expect – dare I even say demand – it. Somewhere along the way we decided immediacy is our right and that all waiting is negative. At my house we need a new computer. One of the first ways that I became aware of this fact was when I turned it on a few weeks ago and it took forever to boot-up. Of course when I say “forever” I mean just under 3 minutes. When compared to the usual less that 1 minute boot-up time that 3 minutes is painful. While the computer whirred, made grinding noises, and flashed, I tapped my fingers on the desk, rolled my eyes, and sighed because I couldn’t believe I was having to wait this long just to get a home screen. Yes, we demand immediacy. We are spoiled to it.
Similarly, a few weeks ago, my aunt, Norma, took Abbey and Creed shopping for new shoes. Creed found the ones he wanted at Journeys. They are Vans covered with Marvel comic pictures. After a few minutes of rummaging through a room just beyond the register, the salesclerk returned with a box and good news/bad news. The bad news was the only youth size they had in the store was too big for Creed. This was evident as soon as he took the shoes out of the box; long before he put them on his feet. The good news was that the shoes were still in stock and she could order him a pair. The first question out of Creed’s mouth was, “When will I get them?”
The salesclerk told him that it would take 4-7 business days, but that the shoes would be delivered directly to our house and there were no additional shipping fees. Without a moment of hesitation he said, “We’ll just get these.” Norma and I looked at each other with disbelief and more than a hint of laughter and simultaneously said to Creed, “They’re too big!” He nonchalantly said, “It’s o.k., I’ll grow into them.” Yeah, maybe. WHEN HE’S 30!
The point is we aren’t good at waiting for anything – even when we know that what we’re waiting for is better than what is currently at our disposal. We are visual, physical creatures. We favor that which is tangible, what we can see and touch in the moment, over an idea or promise of something that will manifest in the future. Waiting requires faith and trust. Creed had to trust the salesclerk at Journeys to place his order. He had to have faith that through the wonder of technology and the U.S. Postal Service those shoes would in fact show up at our front door at some point in the future. Too often we trade the promise of what is best for the ease of what is available. We settle for mediocrity because we don’t choose to wait for excellence.
There are times when we find ourselves in a similar situation with God. We know He has promised to prosper us, not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11) and the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4), but instead of believing and waiting for those promises, we rush forward into what is readily available. We might even settle for something that does not even fit us correctly like pity, disappointment, discouragement, hopelessness, the mundane, defeat, fear, or weariness. What is immediate is often easier (not better- just easier) that what requires waiting.
Whether we wait for the knowledge of God’s will and direction, salvation for a loved one, healing, blessing, purpose, deliverance from an addiction, peace of mind, a job, a new opportunity, to sell our house, to buy a home, to gain a friend, or a new pair of shoes – we must learn to wait with faith, trust, and confident expectation. These breed patience. In the words of Habakkuk 2:3 – “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
Shared by Kim Wheeler
Women@CF Blog 