When God Says "Wait"

  I've written before how patience is something I would really like more of. Something I'm still working on. Someone once said that God answers us in one of three ways: "yes", "no", or "I have something better"....the last one is code for "just wait." It seems like I get that answer from Him quite often.

  It's really frustrating when we don't get the answer we want, and especially when it isn't immediately following our request. This doesn't just pertain to prayer, either. It might be waiting for test results or waiting to hear back on the offer you put in for a house. You may also be waiting for the right person to come along to marry or maybe you're like me and are waiting to become a parent.

  Life is full of waiting.

  It's inevitable, really. So what do we do when we're faced with a time of waiting? Well, there are two options: you can focus on the wait and stress about it, or you can choose to live in that time and embrace it. I've only just recently started to choose the latter option, and it definitely makes life more enjoyable. 

  For example: Jordan and I took time before we met each other to take a break from the dating scene. We chose to wait on the search for a spouse in order to work on ourselves and do other things that would be more challenging to do as a married person. Was it difficult? Sure. I wanted to get married right out of high school, but I didn't. But the period between then and meeting Jordan was a wonderful time of travel, family bonding, and self growth. 

  When we did meet and start our relationship, we chose to wait to have sex until we got married. That was a very challenging thing to wait for, but it was completely worth it. Something like that requires many reminders of why we were waiting, and of what we could do to grow together outside of intercourse. It strengthened us as a couple, and being married is even more special because of our decision.

  Now that we've been married for nearly a year and a half, and trying for a baby for about as long, we've been doing a lot of waiting. For awhile I was really down about the situation and was unable to see past the fact that we've been waiting and waiting for something that may never come. Then God showed me how many wonderful gifts come from a season such as this. We've been able to dedicate so much more of ourselves to our families and friends, working on our house, traveling, and the Church. Stuff that we would still do if we were parents, but not to the same capacity. 

  God doesn't want us to focus on the waiting itself, but what the waiting allows us to do.

  Have you ever sat in a waiting room for 20 minutes or the long lines at the grocery store? How often we grumble about the inconvenience. Instead of paying attention to the annoyance it causes, perhaps we could turn to prayer during that time. Maybe sitting in the doctor's office could be turned to a place to catch up on some Bible reading. How about the five minutes it takes for your car to fill up with gas? Turn on the radio and listen to a song or two, or pull up the latest Fr. Mike Schmitz video. What about when the hostess at a restaurant tells you it'll be a 45 minute wait for a table? Have you ever taken that time to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air? To sit and just be?

  If we were meant to live a life without waiting, we would. But we don't. Life is really one big wait till we get to eternity, after all. What you do with the time you're given is up to you.