I.Hate. Waiting.
Those who know me well know that I hate waiting.
I am also easily distracted.
“Is my final grade posted”
“Have they texted back yet?”
“I can’t wait for Saturday”
“Is it May yet?”
And the list goes on and on….
I hate waiting on that text, that phone call, that email back.
I hate waiting for an important letter.
I hate waiting for a returned grade.
I hate waiting for an exciting, upcoming event.
I hate waiting.
But last year I came to grasp a concept about waiting that I had often ignored, and praise God I finally listened. It is the idea of active waiting.
Actively wait. Even in waiting on something, life is still happening all around you.
Wait, what?
That’s right. You can actively wait for something.
You shouldn’t, and you don’t stop living while you’re waiting for something. There is so much that can be missed or ignored about life while waiting on something. When we become so focused on what we’re waiting for, we miss out on what we could be experiencing in the present. Don’t miss laughter with your friends now because you’re so focused on finding laughter with a significant other in the future. Don’t ignore the potential enjoyment in classes because you’re so focused on what’s coming up this weekend. Don’t lose sight of where God is working with you today, because you’re so concerned with where He’s leading you after graduation. Life is full of waiting on various things.
And God is present through it all.
But what, who, are you living for?
Are you living in the present? Seeking God in the present?
Or are you living in and for the future, only looking ahead at what He has planned for later?There is nothing wrong with looking towards the future, so long as we don’t let go of the present. What is happening in the present, even the little daily things, are preparing us for the future. The more we ignore ‘the now’ the more likely we are to be less adequately prepared and experienced for what comes next.
Keep living, keep loving, keep serving, keep doing – even in the waiting.
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