The Waiting Is the Hardest Part
By Veronica Neffinger
“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14)
Did you ever realize how good things nearly always take time?
As children, waiting can seem like agony. We don’t want to think about the hours that must slowly slip by until school lets out, until summer comes back around, or until our favorite uncle comes to visit again. As adults, our impatience is little lessened, albeit perhaps better concealed.
In our culture of immediacy, having patience is even more difficult and out of reach. We are used to multitasking and packing each day with so much busyness that we seldom have time to hear our own voices.
This impatience for results, for productivity is, I believe, something that we, as Christians, must learn to surrender, will have to learn to surrender if we are going to keep growing.
Have you ever noticed that good things nearly always come about because of a process; oftentimes, a long process?
Conversely, it seems many bad things are those that happen in an instant: a car crash that turns your life upside down, a quick word hurled out in anger which breaks a relationship, a split-second decision to give in to peer pressure.
Now, of course, not all split-second decisions lead to negative consequences, but there is a striking parallel here:
As we are jumping from one thing to the next on a continual cycle of busyness, spiraling away from deep understanding and hovering on the periphery of thought, God is seeking to work against the entropy we have created, making the disparate parts of our life into something beautiful.
God is very comfortable working slowly (or what appears as slowly to us).
We all want this transformation God promises us in His Word, but are we willing to wait for it?
After the moment of salvation, God desires to sanctify us--to make us holy--but this takes time and daily repentance, submission, and prayer, all things that themselves require us to be in for the long haul if we hope to see fruit.
God does not take His sweet time making us more like Himself because He enjoys seeing our impatience; He is patient in perfecting us because, for any truth to truly take hold in us, takes time.
Although we are creatures who have no problem proclaiming an opinion in an instant, we also recognize that dearly-held beliefs are not easily relinquished.
In His infinite mercy, God takes upon Himself the process of gently wrestling our most dearly-held but harmful, selfish, and just plain false beliefs from the intense grip we have on them.
Our stubbornness to begin the growing process is often a reason why we do not spring forward in our Christian life in leaps and bounds.
But that is okay. God knows our frame, and His patience and lovingkindness never fails, even when ours does.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you struggle with patience and waiting on the Lord? What is the Lord trying to teach you through it?
Further Reading:
Proverbs 25:15
Romans 9:22
Galatians 5:22
Photo credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/PIKSEL
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The process of success is not hidden. It is on display for anyone to see. However, it is a daily grind that requires a great deal of work that is tedious and often uncomfortable. Successful people simply do the work. They embrace the grind and everything that comes with it. Ultimately, successful people understand this truth - Hope doesn’t produce change. Habits do! Everyone has the desire, but many lack the necessary discipline! That’s why today on The Built Different Podcast we have a very special guest who understands the importance of discipline and habits at a very high level. Don’t just focus on changing the thoughts in your head and the habits in your life, but also allow God to transform your heart from the inside out. If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to The Built Different Podcast on Apple, Spotify or YouTube so you never miss an episode!
