Thank you for the wait

by Barb Kennedy

But Lord... I do not like to wait.

I have become so accustomed to “now,” that waiting is painful.

Fast food, instant rice and potatoes, high speed internet, “no wait” lines, pre-packaged meals, credit so I can “buy now – pay later,” fast cash, instant gratification... everything around me screams do it now, eat it now, get it now, now…now… now… don’t wait!!!!

Waiting? Foreign. But You did make me wait five memorable times of note. And they were worth the wait. In each of those nine months of waiting, as they grew to completion – I grew (literally and figuratively). In those months of waiting, I left childhood behind and prepared to be a mother. I learned so much from You about patience, making decisions that affected another for good, slowing down, quieting, nesting and preparing... and I would have missed it all if You hadn’t made me... wait.

I also learned that as much as I didn’t want to wait, if I didn’t put in that time, things could turn out very poorly. The occasion seemed more like a blur in the rush to get it done and over. Food wouldn’t be cooked well – undone, too rubbery, too mealy, too rushed. The preemie that wasn’t quite “ready” to be rushed into the world... sometimes “now” really isn’t good at all.

So against all the blaring “do it nows,” “have it nows,” and “don’t waits” in my face, my eyes, my ears... I wait. Why? Because I know of the lessons of waiting; the joy, the beauty, the alleluias, the over-flowing heart, the precious gift of love at the end.

So thank you Lord... for this time of preparation... and for... the wait.