I’ll never forget the first time we took our kids to Universal Studios in Florida. We were with my sister and her three boys, and we had spent a couple of fun-filled days in Disney World. Universal had much bigger, scarier rides, however; and all the boys were extremely excited to move on from Mickey Mouse to bigger and better things! I was too!
The minute we got there, we all ran to the biggest roller coaster in the park and anxiously waited in line. Sam, my youngest, had absolutely no fear and was ready for the thrill of his life. His anticipation mounted as we got closer and closer to the front of the line. He watched with awe as the roller coaster went through its twists and turns and upside-down barrel rolls. This was going to be awesome!
When we finally reached the front of the line, Sam was devastated to discover that he wasn’t tall enough to ride the ride. His mood went from total excitement to utter disbelief. He argued, he pleaded, he cried; but he was NOT getting on that ride.
My heart broke for my little boy as the tears came in wave after wave as he watched his older brother and cousins strap on their safety belts. He sobbed uncontrollably as they took off like lightening, but there was nothing I could do. It was simply a hard reality of life…he had to wait.
The people in charge knew something his young mind couldn't grasp: they knew his life would be in danger because he wasn’t tall enough for their safety equipment to hold him in. It simply wasn't safe. I assured him we would be back when he was a little bit bigger, but none of that helped ease the pain of a little boy who didn’t get to do what he was so excited to do.
Sam learned a hard lesson we've all learned in life: waiting is hard, and it’s something none of us likes to do. But so often it’s actually for our good, especially when we’re waiting on God.
Waiting is one of the most powerful tools God uses to teach us. It isn’t that God is mean and makes us wait because He loves to see us suffer; rather, God does some of His best work in us through seasons of waiting.
Just like the people at Universal Studios weren’t trying to kill my son’s dream but only had his best interests in mind, God wants the best for us as well. He often makes us wait to increase our trust and help loosen our death grip on control. It’s in our nature as humans to want to control, but waiting reminds us who actually is in control…God.
But what do you do when it’s not just a temporary wait like Sam had to endure but you’ve entered into what feels like a never-ending roller coaster ride of waiting? How do you handle it when you feel sick to your stomach and you just want to get off?
I've been on that ride myself lately. The big, audacious things God has called me to do are taking much longer than I anticipated. At times I want to stand there and cry my eyes out like my sweet Sammy did all those years ago; yet I know deep in my spirit that with every delay, God is teaching me something...at other times He’s protecting me. Sometimes He simply wants to draw my heart closer to His.
With each delay, I’m learning to go to Him with an open mind and a humble heart willing to learn. One huge thing waiting has exposed in me is the productivity and accomplishment idols that I’ve bowed down to in my life. What we do and how much we accomplish can become the measure of our self-worth. When we aren’t being productive or can’t accomplish what we want to because we are waiting on God, it forces us to put our true worth on what God says about us, not the world. Since I’m a get-it-done, shoot-for-the-moon kind of person, this has by far been the hardest lesson for me to learn.
I’ve also learned to lean in more and more to the wisdom offered by heroes of the faith who also had to wait. David, one of my personal favorites, knew all about waiting. He was anointed as the next king of Israel when he was a teenager, but he had to wait an extremely long time to finally sit on the throne. David put his season of waiting to good use by writing beautiful Psalms. He gives us great counsel in Psalm 27:
"The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?"
"I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27:1 and 13-14 (NIV)
The final words from this verse have gotten me through many a sleepless night. As I repeat these words over and over, “wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord,” they become a battle cry to my weary soul. They encourage and remind me that I will get through it because the Lord is right there in the battle with me.
I’m also learning that the less I complain and the more I claim God's power and goodness in my life right here, right now, the easier the waiting becomes. My heart needs to speak with confidence the words of David, "I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." He doesn't say, I might, maybe, possibly, hopefully. Even though he himself was still waiting when he wrote these words, David waited with confidence.
We can too!
Waiting is hard; but let me remind you, my friend, as I remind myself: God knows what is best for us, and He's always right on time. If He’s taking you through a season of waiting, He must know it’s for your good.
And even if you’re a get-it-done-now kind of person like me, we can choose to wait with confidence and hope that every minute of the wait will be worth it in the end. We will look back and see that God’s timing was absolutely perfect!
And one day we will have a huge, cheesy grin on our face like Sam did when he finally got to ride that awesome roller coaster, with me right there beside him!
Hugs and love,
Jill