I had to wait 30 seconds for my email to leave the computer the other day. During that time I could have cooked dinner for a crowd of 20...or so it seemed. My expectations have risen along with technology. Hence, when I have a computer that is fast, an internet line that is fast, and I can write fast, I expect everything to be completed fast. Because we have an instant society, the expectations of speed, quality and ease has risen to astronomical levels. Instant messaging, instant oatmeal, instant music, instant this and instant that. We live for the instant. Taking the Christian in me to task, there are things I don't want instantly. I don't want to be convicted of my sin instantly. I don't want to wait for vengeance or for my wants and needs to be taken care of. I don't want to be told by God to "Wait." Waiting seems to be all around us though. Anyone who has traveled through a major airport recently know all to well the long lines of people with items in hand waiting in the line for their cue to go to the next available screener. By the time you get to your plane you no longer want to wait for anything.
The second problem I have is that I can't seem to be okay with the "time" spent waiting when I could be doing something else. Multi-tasking has become an obsession with not only me but most of the world around me. I'm not talking about pointless multi-tasking. I'm talking about washing the dishes while the laundry is being done and cooking dinner is taking place multi-tasking. Don't forget taking care of all the needs of the kids! There is a belief that those who do lots are capable of doing more and that those who are not capable of doing lots are not capable of doing more. Waiting for both groups is much different. For the multi-tasking person, waiting is frustrating and non-productive. For the non-multi-tasking person, waiting is just another function of life. It would seem that we have an epidemic of people who are waiting. It's received a negative connotation because we associate waiting with doing nothing. If someone does nothing then their worth in society has decreased. The other focus is that of the ones who don't like waiting. Their abilities are sharpened with every new circumstances that they encounter. Rising to the challenge is good for us!
When God wants us to wait we should wait. Instead, I return to my will and find something to do. Time is important and shouldn't be wasted after all. It's possible with modern technology to do amazing things in amazing amounts of time. I've been waiting for 11 years to culminate a process regarding my disability status. Today is the day when I will give my final disposition and then I will have to wait for an answer. Not knowing makes waiting even more intense for me. It's like going to the ER and waiting for a friend or relative who is being seen. Time seems to slow to a crawl or even stop with nothing being instant except the billing of their insurance provider. I've gone to church services where people were dropping like flies due to the dull sermon being preached in a church that is to warm and a pastor who has bored everyone to the point of they passing out. Waiting for that service to end is excruciating! When we turn our lives over to God we include that part of where we wait. Why does He want us to wait? When we are impatient we want to have things taken care of now ad not 11 years later. His perfect timing is very important in that he is busy weaving together a tapestry of people's lives intertwining and working just as he thinks they should.
So, I'll wait on God for his instruction in my life. Then when I hear from God, I'll wait for him to say "go." When I'm on my way, I'll slow down and wait or the step by step he is willing to use to lead us to his purpose in our lives. Jesus has been so patient with me as an example of how we are to be patient with others. What about you? Do you have problems with waiting?
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