Wait~Watching

Waiting...

…in an elevator, in line at the store, for a package, to take your turn in a game, for the start signal to run a race, for the light to turn green, for an elderly lady to cross the street, for the nurse, by a loved one’s bedside in the hospital, for permission, for work, for a paycheck, for quitting time, for the right man, for the right woman, for children to catch up on a walk, up for the teen who borrowed the car, for weather to change, for the snowplow, for rain, for sun, for harvest, for news, for a baby’s arrival, for an answer, for results from a test, for a ride, in security lines, for the plane, for takeoff, for help,  ……life is filled with waiting!

Waiting involves three components:

  Time

    Presence

      Knowledge

Within the constraints of time, there exist past, present, and future, which cannot occur simultaneously… and so I wait.

The ability to be in only one place at any one given time means that I am unable to be in several places at once… and so I wait.

Having only the knowledge that is available to me, and within that measure, only using that which I understand, much of the information, awareness, or skill belonging to others is outside my grasp… and so I wait.

Why does waiting stir such emotion?  Why is it so hard to wait?

Expectations… those brutal, heartless warriors that dress in the chain mail of presumption, bear the shield of justification, and brandish the sword of control.  Expectations do not rest; they move forward, demand response, grow stronger with every kneejerk reaction, and leave a trail with smatterings of opinion, of anxiety, of complaint, of disillusion, of regret, of pseudo-success.

Self-imposed expectations exceed the speed limit, run red lights, and have a pocket full of excuses ready in case of confrontation.

When depending upon a source of hope that is flawed, manipulative, or overbearing, any promises made lay insecure on shaky ground, and fear of losing what seems like hope is a constant companion… actually redefining hope as wishful thinking.

Wait-Watching

Waiting expectantly is an active form of waiting.  It forces me to see beyond the way things are and to look toward predetermined hope established upon the foundation of unbreakable promise.  Inconvenience, difficulty, even suffering can play important motivational roles in the act of waiting. 

A dependable source of hope provides direction, courage, and rest because truth never changes.  In extreme situations, when all pretense of hope falls away, truth is the only secure hope worth the waiting.

So, rather than shaping hope to remain within my own limitations, rather than coloring hope with shades of acceptability, rather than visualizing hope through my bifocals, there is a better way…

Look to the Source of Hope; that is Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. 

     He Is…

…not limited by time

…not constrained by mass, volume or weight

…the Creator, Sustainer and Keeper of all knowledge and understanding.

What does Wait-Watching feel like?  If it is active, what do I do?

An active form of waiting on the Source of hope involves…

  Focus (on God’s Word and His promises)

    Anticipation (of the hope He has defined with joy,)

      Communication (through prayer and quiet listening stillness before Him)

        Identifying (my inadequacies and coming to terms that Jesus is enough)

          Relinquishing Control (to God mentally, verbally, physically, spiritually)

            Trusting with Complete Dependence (that God has the whole picture)

…and so I wait.

 ~ae

“There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; 
and this man was righteous and devout, 
looking for the consolation of Israel; 
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit 
that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ…”  
~Luke 2:25:32


"Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage.  
Yes, wait for the Lord"  
~Psalm 27:14