We have all heard of the expression “it was worth the wait”, right? Some things we simply have to wait for and in God’s glorious timing all good things come to us. You may have had to wait to take that picture perfect vacation, get that college degree, land that dream job, find your Prince Charming, conceive or adopt your first baby (or rainbow baby), or buy the dream house to raise your family in.
We know consciously that we must be patient and wait for all of these things. In fact if we didn’t have to wait, and they all came in one fell swoop, we would be seriously in over our heads. It’s easier to wait for these “big” things because we know eventually our time will come. We know God’s promises over our lives and that he will bless us in due season.
But what about the mundane stuff? What about all the day to day hustle and bustle of every day life? Are we still just as patient? Still just as cheerful? Optimistic?
If we are being honest- often times not. We get impatient with our spouses, our kids, a work situation, a situation with a friend, family member, etc. Often times we also get impatient with ourselves- whether it be a house project that we just haven’t had time for, eating healthy, starting (or restarting) and exercise regime, or a laundry list of to-dos that just keeps growing.
Sometimes we get so impatient, so frustrated, so irritated that we throw in the towel and quit. We never see the fruit of our efforts because we gave up too soon. We start, stop, start again, only to end up right back at square one.
Let’s be real- at times it feels good to complain, whine, validate our feelings, to eventually give up , release yourself from the burden, and chalk it up to “it wasn’t meant to be”.
I know I’m not alone in this- I have heard and seen time again people fall into the same trap I’ve been in. Even in the Bible we see people complaining, whining, failing over and over, wanting to give up. Some do, and some keep persevering.
Look at Moses, who lead the Israelites out of Egypt and to the promise land. He certainly didn’t use GPS to navigate to the promise land. The path was long, full of scenic routes, trials, and missteps. The people were tired, hungry, wanted to give up, and questioned Moses (and God) every day.
Look at Joshua- leading the Israelites into Jericho. Marching around the city for seven days until God knocked down the walls. I’m sure people thought Joshua was nuts when he lead them around the town.
In many of these stories- I wonder what would have happened if Moses or Joshua gave in? What if they quit too soon? What of Moses gave in to the whiners? What of Joshua stopped marching after six days?
I wonder too how many times we ourselves quit too soon. What would have happened if we pressed on just one more time or one more day?
For the parents out there- you know that shopping with young children can be a bear! Kids often ask for everything and anything…. Does it sparkle? Is it fluffy? Is it colorful? Does it look tasty? If it is you can almost bet they’ll ask for it!
So when you visit the store with kiddos in tow, do you give your child everything they ask for? Of course not! And why is that… Maybe because it’s too expensive? Or because they need to learn the value of money and self control? Or because it’s not needed? Or maybe it’s unhealthy for them? Or maybe they just aren’t mature enough yet?
I believe God does the same thing with us. Yes- he loves us unconditionally and wants to bless us beyond our wildest dreams. But he also knows when a blessing might actually hurt us in the long run, isn’t a part of his will for our life, or that our character isn’t quite ready for that promotion. He too protects us by telling us “no” or “not yet” because he truly wants what is best for us.
So how do we (like our children) learn to trust? To obey? To practice patience and find joy in the journey set for us?
We can turn to the Bible to answer this one:
1. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9
2. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. -Romans 5:3-5
3. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. -James 1:2-4
Anything great is worth waiting for! Let’s reflect today on what promises we are waiting for (big and small) and just keep marching… one more hour, one more day, and one more week.
“I learned the lines and talked the talk
Everybody knows that, everybody knows that
But the road less traveled is hard to walk
Everybody knows that, everybody knows
It takes a soldier
Who knows his orders
To walk the walk I'm supposed to walk
And love like I'm not scared
Give when it's not fair
Live life for another
Take time for a brother
Fight for the weak ones
Speak out for freedom
Find faith in the battle
Stand tall but above it all
Fix my eyes on you, oh-oh, oh-oh, on you”