“The Waiting Place…”

As I was reading “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” to Matty the other day, this page stopped me in my tracks. I am, by nature, an impatient person. I want a plan for every.thing. All the things. Not a fluid “let’s get together sometime” type of plan. But you know, let’s meet at Target at 3 PM with Starbucks in hand and peruse all the aisles kind of plan. Seriously, though, can we do that?

I think almost every single person on Earth is in some kind of waiting place. Waiting for the perfect partner, the job, the baby, the promotion, the raise, retirement, etc. etc. Wouldn’t it be so great if God always gave us a definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’? to make the wait just a bit easier? “Yes, you’ll get the ____ at this time on this day. Go ahead and set your countdown app and enjoy life in the meantime”. But, God doesn’t work like that. (As much as I wish He did).

I’ll be ugly transparent with y’all since I am living #unfiltered in 2020. We are in the hardest waiting place of our lives at the moment. Waiting for test results, waiting for my HCG levels to reset to 0, waiting for doctor’s appointments to talk about plans for the future. Our future. Alex and I’s future. Not theirs. It feels frustrating, vulnerable and a little foreign to think we need to consult with a professional about OUR family’s future. But after all that we have been through, we know it’s for the best. 

We are so impatient these days, aren’t we? In the era of instant gratification it’s hard to be told to sit back, relax and enjoy the incredibly long and unfamiliar ride. 

As difficult as it is, I don’t believe it’s all for nothing. You see, I think sometimes God allows seasons of waiting in our lives so that we lean into Him. Nothing has brought me closer to him quite like a good ol’ season of waiting. After all, He is the only one who really has all the answers, and who has already written the invaluable book that is your life. We are never going to be able to ‘catch up’ with Him or change the chapters He has already written. I don’t know about you, but as much as I like to be in control, sometimes it’s actually pretty freeing to sit back and let the creator of the universe take the reins.

So therein lies my question…What am I doing with my time in life’s waiting room? The way I see it I have two options. I can spend that time scrolling away on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc. being jealous of others who have what I’m waiting for. OR I can spend my time intentionally pouring into my relationships with my family, friends and most importantly, Jesus. I’m gonna choose the latter. (And still scroll through social media, sometimes. Let’s be realistic here…).

I hate to disagree with the legendary Dr. Seuss… but maybe the Waiting Place isn’t so useless after all.

Alright, who’s meeting me at Target? Coffee’s on me.