The Art of Waiting

We must wait for many, many things in our lives. The list is endless really.

To name just a few:

• The nine-month wait for a wee little baby to be born.
• Waiting for that big job promotion.
• Waiting in the hospital waiting room for the status of a loved one.
• Waiting for that guy to ask you out in high school, the cute one that you had a TOTAL crush on.
• Waiting for the Thanksgiving turkey to be done JUST RIGHT while having to smell all the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen.
• Waiting on your husband who can’t hurry worth anything (LOVE YOU HONEY!!)
• Waiting for God to answer a prayer.
• Waiting for a response from agent/editor.
• Waiting for the results of a contest.

This is just a really really short list of all the times that we wait.

Waiting is Biblical, you know. It’s all over the Bible. “Wait on the Lord” this and “Wait on the Lord” that.

Examples:

Psalms 27:14 NLT “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

Psalms 37:7 NLT “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

I did a little waiting myself on Friday morning, which many of you did NOT partake in, I know, and which doesn’t really count in the “biblical” sense of waiting.

Picture Krista… with a wicked cold… standing out in line in 40 degree weather… waiting for Sears to open at 4:00 a.m. Granted, my sister and I only stood out there for about 20 minutes (I went back to the car for about 5 of those…) but we got the “doorbuster” deals we were looking for. Totally worth the wait.

Then… after a brief stop at Krispy Kreme for Hot chocolate and a donut… we got to Target by 4:30… and again, waited in a VERY VERY VERY LONG line for 30 minutes until they opened at 5. I got the items I wanted… Three cheers for Krista!

Those times were worth the wait. But… I didn’t mention our brief stink to Old Navy, which opened at 3:00. We arrived on time… not early… and the line was all the way down the shopping strip to even get in. My sister and I both decided… TOTALLY not worth the wait.

Now… I want to go back in time a little, a couple years ago when the Deal Or No Deal bus rolled into Nashville. A friend of mine from work and I decided it was a once in a lifetime chance, so we got up at the wee hour of… I don’t recall how early, but it was probably around 4 because McDonald’s wasn’t even opened yet… and decked out in funny outfits and signs… we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.

The weather went from FREEZING cold in the morning to “SHOOT! I can only take off so many articles of clothing” hot… and still we waited.

For EIGHT hours. By the time we got to meet the producers… we were so tired, hot and sticky that we really didn’t care anymore. We gave our little speeches about how they should pick us, and left.

No phone call from producers. Totally NOT worth the wait. But… I don’t regret it either. It was fun in its own way, it was an experience I lived to tell about, and if I hadn’t gone… I would have had ZERO chance instead of… like… one in many many many thousands.

Moral of the Story: Waiting is part of life. You win some, you lose some, but you’ll always lose if you never try.

But… sometimes the reward isn’t worth it. So before you wait for it… weigh your options. Pray about it, make sure you are doing what GOD wants you to do. The outcome is up to HIM, not you. It’s just our job to be obedient… then wait:-) Oh… and don’t complain while you wait. It’s your choice to get in line… so suck it up, smile, and enjoy the cold. Oh, and make sure you get a donut and hot chocolate to make the time go by a little more pleasantly. A pair of gloves is a good idea too.

**Note** Congratulations to Susan Reinhardt for winning the 5-book set from Tamara Leigh! (If you noticed… I made you WAIT until the end of the blog post to see who the winner was!)