If you think about it not very many people actually pursue a season of waiting in their life. The mentality is that we go from one event to the next to the next. That’s how it is supposed to work. Waiting is wasting time. We never say, “for the next five years of my life I want to wait.” But somehow more often than not we find ourselves in seasons of waiting in our lives that can last months or even years. Most of these seasons are unplanned. We are waiting to hear back from a job we applied for. We are waiting to hear about whether we got into the school we wanted to or not. Or we are just generally waiting for a sense of calling or purpose to our life. We want meaning behind what we are doing and waiting is considered meaningless.
I recently heard someone say a bit about what expectations should be in different seasons of life. Simply put, there is MUCH waiting involved.
I think we should reconsider viewing these seasons of waiting as meddlesome and as being a burden and view them more as opportunities to shape and form our commitment and character.
I propose that we should embrace these seasons of waiting and take every opportunity possible. Not to the point where we never progress to whats next for us in our lives but I think we shouldn’t see these seasons as meaningless but rather as formative.
Here’s to waiting!
Waiting is difficult (at least it is for me in most instances), but necessary. However, I think waiting provides us time to seek His will which is clearly outlined for us…“be transformed”, “give thanks”, “submit”, etc. We hear His voice when we are living a life of obedience. God has amazing plans for us…I am learning that while I am asking God to answer my questions or to follow the timetable that I thought best, God is simply wanting to teach me/transform me so that I might become more like Him—teaching me patience, integrity, righteousness–transforming me in ways that might not happen if not for those “times in between.” As hard as waiting may be at times, I think your words about it being a formative, not meaningless, time is a truth I am realizing more each day. Great post
Dr. Seuss sums it up well in Oh the Places You’ll Go!
“You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…
…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.”
Seuss says its a most useless place but I agree with you that it’s very useful – a time of growth and preparation but I still call it hell on earth and am like Seuss looking for the way out.
SuperDave…… lol