Seeking: A Love of Waiting

“We can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway,

And I wonder if I'm really with you now
Or just chasin' after some finer day…

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late…
Is keepin' me waitin'”

I heard Carly Simon’s Anticipation while I was stuck in traffic in the middle of a December hurricane yesterday.  If life came with musical accompaniment, this would have been playing in my background the entire day.  (Of course, it also reminded me of ketchup, but you need to be of a certain age to realize why…)

It’s Advent, and here we are - waiting.  We usually hate to wait.  Waiting requires patience, and in our busy, high-tech world, we are accustomed to instant gratification – texting, emails, Keurig coffee in less than 30 seconds.  To wait seems to indicate that something must be wrong – the Internet service is down, there must be an accident backing up traffic, it must be the cashier’s first day on the job, and my doctor is overbooked.  And where the heck is my quarter-pounder with cheese!?

But…can waiting be a good thing? I mean - really?

Jesus’ mother, Mary, waited.  She trusted God, and she waited.  Mary had no idea what was to come in her life, but with tremendous faith and obedience to God, she quietly waited in prayer to see how her life, and her child’s life, would unfold.  And given the unusual circumstances surrounding her pregnancy, there must have been times where Mary was anxious, and perhaps even a bit worried…but she continued to trust.  And wait.

Mary has been a wonderful model for me in my life.  When things become uncertain, when I lose faith and trust, when I just don’t want to wait for an answer – I think of Mary’s faithfulness, strength, and patience in waiting for the Lord.  It gives me a tremendous amount of relief and hope.  I have learned to take the experience of being anxious in waiting, and to let go of that anxiety, and focus on prayer and other ways of communion with God.  In doing so, I’ve learned that life events will happen whether I worry and wonder about them or not.  The waiting period has helped me to draw closer to God, and strengthens me in countless ways, spiritually, mentally, and physically (lower blood pressure!).  I have learned to accept - and actually embrace - waiting as a gift.  Sometimes it is just what I need.  And God knows that.

“All good things to those who wait.”  Peace to you as we wait for the best gift of all.