To Wait or Not to Wait!

Over the holidays we had the privilege of having our 4 grands with us and they begged us to let them open their presents before Christmas Day. Maybe you had the same experience! They didn’t want to wait and something inside me wanted to let them open at least one, but I didn’t because I knew that Christmas morning would be more exciting if they waited.

I remembered my own childhood and my “very mean” father! I was just like my grandchildren-- only worse!!! I recall one time saying I wanted to open one particular gift “Right NOW!!” (said with stomping feet and raised voice.) Now, this is where my daddy became really mean! He told me that not only would I not get the gift then but I would have to wait until New Year’s Day to open it. Pure torture!! It was not until years later that I appreciated what he did. I know he really wanted to give me the gift but for my sake he delayed the joy.

Most of us have a problem with waiting. If we have to wait to check out we get impatient or if the red light lasts 20 seconds longer than we want it to we throw mini-fits!! What my daddy was teaching me that Christmas, was not that I couldn’t open a present, but that in life we have to wait and the sooner I learned how to wait the better!!

Yet, in this matter of waiting I also realized is that there are times we want to delay…to hesitate… that generally happens when God gives us something to do and we sit back and say things like, “I think I will wait to see if this is really God’s will!”

So, to wait or not to wait? Our selfishness rears its ugly head in this question. If it is something we want, we become impatient or we delay if a directive interferes with what we want…This is one of the most serious of flaws of human nature. Scripture is full of scriptures that show the benefits of waiting… “Those who wait upon the Lord will rise up with wings like eagles” is among my favorite! Waiting is good…if I had not waited for the right person to marry there is no telling where my life would be today and believe me I didn’t want to wait. It was to my benefit.

But on the other side of waiting is an immediate response to Jesus when He shows us what we are to do… When Jesus called His disciples scripture says, “Immediately, they left their nets!!” That word, in the original Greek, means…immediately!! They didn’t stop to think about it or they didn’t ask their friends if they thought this was the right thing to do or they didn’t say, “I will pray about it!” They just dropped their nets and followed Jesus and the rest of their lives were changed forever! There have been so many times that I will wait because to do what Jesus has called me to do because it will interfere with what I want to do…and I miss the blessing of immediate obedience. Jesus doesn’t need me to fulfill His will…He wants me to be involved in His will. It is for my good.

So, as this New Year begins, I want to know when to wait…knowing it will bring greater joy but I also want to know when not to wait for that also brings the great joy. It might seem that it will be hard to know when to wait or not to wait…but that is where my walk with Christ becomes important. It will be clear if I am walking daily with Him.

What about you? Do you have a waiting problem? Ask God to help you this year with it. It will be amazing how our lives will be blessed just by knowing when to wait or not to wait. I wish you all the best year ever!!!