Patience and Waiting...

Patience and waiting both go hand in hand. In order to wait for something you have to be patient. What is patience? Dictionary.com defines patience as an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay. The willingness to suppress restlessness let that sit in for a second. So in order to have patience we have to put an end to being restless and anxious all the time. We have to stop worrying about what tomorrow brings. I heard the following saying the other day: Worrying is like a rocking chair- it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” God knows the desires of our heart. Why should we worry about what is ahead of us? As humans we want things to happen instantly. We don’t like to stand in long lines, we want our food fast... etc. I think Americans now day don’t understand patience and waiting because we are not use to it. Back in the olden days, they understood it more. They had to wait for the harvest, drive a long distance to get to the nearest store. We take for grant the things we have today.

How many of us like to wait for something? Not me. What is fun about waiting? Nothing at all. I think that patience and waiting is when I grow closer to the Lord though. I realize that I have one of two options: I can choose to worry about why I am still single or I can embrace it and realize that it is all part of God’s plan for my life. I told someone the other day that I don’t think God will bring someone in my life until I completely surrender it all over to God. I think so many times I try to tell God how I want things to happen. When God is telling me, Savannah your plans don’t even compare to the great plans that I have for you. Total surrender, why is that so hard? I think because we realize we can’t control what the outcome will be. As a Christian, we aren’t in control of what happens in our life. He already has it all planned out, we just need to trust him more and stop trying to tell God how we want things to be.

What makes waiting so difficult? Waiting means we must be still. I have trouble just being still. At home if it’s really quiet in the house, I will turn on the radio because I can’t stand for it to be quiet. When it’s quiet, I start to think and allow my mind to worry about things. This week, I need to embrace the quiet. I am going to allow the quiet to be time that I pray and be still. I really like this quote by Joseph Campbell: “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” Whatever it is that you are waiting for, let go of the life that you have planned. The life we have planned can’t even touch the plan that God has for our life. Letting go isn’t easy but the reward will be far greater if we do.