Quit Hating the Waiting

We have all been there- sitting in line in the drive through for what seems like an eternity, or sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, where said doctor is running half an hour or more behind, or waiting for that package of new somethings to show up, or waiting for God to bring the right man or woman into our lives or to take us to the next step in our journey. Let’s be honest, often times the perspective that today’s world has is that waiting SUCKS. I find myself in the place pretty much every day, waiting on someone to answer my email so I can move forward with my work, or waiting at a stoplight for fifty-thousand minutes when I’m running late. It never stops. It is so easy to hate your state of waiting. I love to look at things I ‘hate’ or struggle with in my life and evaluate them from different perspectives. There is one thing in my life that I have been waiting on for a very long time. I have prayed and fasted and done everything I know how to do, all to what seems to be no avail. A few weeks ago I was thinking about this particular thing, and I began to feel genuine hatred for it. Not the person involved or the choices made, but the situation in general. I was getting angry with God for not fixing this situation after my many desperate cries and many tears shed. Then my BFF, Holy Spirit, put me in check real quick. For you to get this statement, you have to get an idea of how I hear the good ol’ HS. God knows what we respond to in our minds. He DID create us after all. So in my mind, my “conscience” or the Holy Spirit speaks to me like an old Southern Belle. Judge away, but God knows this is what I respond to, because, in my mind, what’s more stern yet loving than a Southern Grandma?! ANYWAY, the Holy Spirit said “Honey, you have got to stop hating your waiting.” 
HELLO!!!!!
Now, for those who know me, you know that I am not one to just back down and say “Okay, you’re right! I’ll just let this go and life will be lemon drops and lollipops!” I sometimes wish this were my attitude, but it’s not. I immediately went into my stubborn arguments of “Yeah, that’s easy for you to say! You aren’t the one waiting!” To which Holy Spirit replied, “Umm, yes I am! I am waiting on you!” 
HELLO!!!!! (again) 
At this point I decided it was best to listen, and I started digging in the Word. The Bible has no shortage of truths about patience. It’s a freaking Fruit of the Spirit, for Heaven’s sake! There is POWER in your PATIENCE (Proverbs 16:23). Anyone can get angry or fly off the handle, or even throw in the towel and call it quits. But it takes true strength to preserver in the face of what can seem to be defeat. So with this new revelation, I asked God to speak to me some more. I felt Him say “I need you to stop seeing this as a ‘waiting season’ where you can’t do anything, and to start seeing it as a preparation season. And not just for you, but for everyone involved.” That was it- the change of perspective I need! Our culture has but such a negative stigma on the word “waiting”. Everything has to be fast and quick. Fast food, quick internet, quick service, fast speeds, everything has to be now, now, now. We live in a fast-paced life style. And if it’s not fast enough for us, you better believe someone, or everyone, is going to hear about it. There is a military saying that my dad used to tell me all the time. its called “The 5 P’s”,- Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance (try saying that 10 times fast). I now like to sub Preparation for Planning. Your preparation season is crucial to preventing poor performance when you do finally step into the season you’ve been waiting for! You can’t just take a toddler and throw them into the deep end of the pool and expect them to automatically know how to keep themselves afloat. You take them to swimming lessons and teach them the proper technique and how to distribute their weight to float. Then you teach them how to move their arms and legs to propel themselves forward. It doesn’t happen overnight. And some kids learn faster than others. Some kids have to conquer their fear of water from a past traumatic experience. Some kids have to develop their trust in the instructor who is holding them afloat until they learn to do it themselves. Some kids have to learn to let go of the side of the pool and get out of their comfort zone. Some kids have to get over how cold the water is and move past to discomfort. THIS is what your preparation season is for. It’s to help you get over past hurts and burns. It’s to teach you that you can’t do this all by yourself- You have to trust God and learn that He knows what He’s doing. You have to get out of your comfort zone and do things that aren’t comfortable for you. 
Patience is not always a fun task, but there is so much to be learned in your season of preparation. You learn how strong you are and how mighty our God is. You learn to be patient. And through your patience you learn one of the greatest truths of love. Love is patient (I Corinthians 13:1). It is in your season of preparation that you learn to be patient and love yourself and those around you. You learn to truly love the people or the place, or thing you are believing for, because let’s be honest- if you don’t love something, is it really worth the preparation and waiting? 
With all of that being said, It’s time for you to stop hating your waiting! Use this time to grow in you spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health. Strengthen your relationships. Love people. Your are in this season for a purpose (I purposefully didn’t use the word “reason” here to avoid the cheesy rhyme. I was tempted though!) That purpose is so much greater that just you! It impacts every person you come in contact with and you have complete control and responsibility for the impact you leave. Never be in such a rush that you forget to love.
XOXO 

ELK