Have you ever been in a season of waiting? I bet if you were honest, good or bad, there was at least something you learned in that season. My guess is that it wouldn’t take much thought to immediately point to specific lessons learned. It doesn’t mean you enjoyed the season, but the lessons learned were (gulp) worth the journey. Here’s just few I have learned and continue to learn:
HOPE.
No matter the season, no matter the reason, each and every one of us need hope. We need to know that there is a chance that this season will end well. Hope gives us the strength for one more mile, one more day, one more push. Hope is what we put our faith in. It’s the thought that if we leap, someone, something will catch us.
PATIENCE.
This is, for me, the hardest lesson to learn. The illusion of control is so quickly fleeting in moments and seasons of waiting. I have no doubt this is by design. Often Gods greater vision is not microwaved or a 30 minute episode of a sitcom. It’s a marathon not a 5K. It’s a movie and not a trailer. Patience in the process rewards us with a vision of how great our God is. As it unfolds, you will see each scene in greater detail, each moment as impossible to create with human hands. Enjoy the story. Enjoy the details.
CONTROL.
Here’s what I’ve learned about control….just when you think you’re in it, you have none. We are all one moment away from what we believe is “in our control” being completely out of it. It doesn’t necessarily mean a tragedy, sometimes all it takes is a glimpse to remind us we’re not the one at the wheel. We can “white knuckle” the wheel and force things, but over time, it is exhausting. Surrender is so much easier. It doesn’t mean we live out of control. What it means is we live in a control which is not our own.
JOY.
In seasons of waiting, I often forget how simple moments in life are filled with joy. The laugh of a child, a perfect evening, a walk with my wife, a day in the sun. We are surrounded by joy. Sometimes a call, an email, a word of encouragement in the waiting can remind you to dance in the rain. It reminds us that no matter the outcome, no matter the finish, we’re learning in the waiting and there is joy everywhere.
To all of you in a season of waiting, let me encourage you to take it all in. Enjoy the ride. Soak in the detail with which your story is being written. Then remind others to encourage their seasons as well.
What lessons have you learned while you were waiting?
Good words.
I’ve gotten better at it over the years, but I am NOT a patient waiter. However, I have seen what can happen when you do wait. In one particular instance, I was certain I knew what I was getting myself into. A no-brainer. By the way, there is a reason they are called “no-brainers”. (ahem…) My wife was willing to go with whatever decision I made, but urged me to hold off and REALLY think it through. Sparing the gory details, by waiting and applying some thoughtful discernment, I avoided what would have been a very bad decision and terrible mistake for me, my family and others who love me.
So, while waiting, I watched some very ugly things play out that I would have been smack in the middle of if I had not waited. Having a wise wife doesn’t hurt anything either!
David – GREAT point. My wife saves me from myself on a regular basis. She is the calm in the storm I can often create. She is also the biggest cheerleader while the waiting happens. Glad to hear that situation worked out well for you. It’s good to have those moments to reach back to when waiting again some other time. There are like the altars that people used to build in the Bible when God did something special.