Playing the Waiting Game

Have you ever been at a resteraunt and were so hungry that you literally couldn't keep a conversation going because all you could think about was the food you were about to eat? Well, that definitely happened to me the other day. I went to IHOP (Thank you GOD for IHOP!) with a friend of mine for dinner. We were so hungry. I mean, we were tapping the table, looking around for our food, and talked about how we couldn't wait to eat and how glorious it would be. It got to the point where I had to say "we need to think about something else and get our minds off of it". I knew that obsessing over how hungry we were wasn't going to make it come any faster. I felt like the longer we waited, the more excited I got. I pictured (more or less fantasized) about how amazing the food was going to be. I knew it was going to be good and I couldn't wait to taste it! The funny thing is, the one, tiny moment that I stopped thinking about it was when the food arrived. And seriously, it was way better than I imagined it! It was so good that it was almost too good to be true!

The moral of the story is this: we have got to be patient! Good things come to those who wait, right? This is hard for me to say because I'm the most impatient person there is, but this is especially relevant to my life right now. God is teaching me patience. I just need to hold on to God's promises and wait.

 "We rejoice in our sufferings because we know suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope"- Romans 5:3-4. 


"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything"- James 1:2-4. 


"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him"- Psalms 37:7. 


"No eye has seen, no hear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" - 1Corinthians 2:9.


Why do we wait? Because God has something in mind for us that far exceeds our expectations! Just like my food. I knew it was going to be good and I couldn't wait to eat it, but I had to wait because it wasn't ready yet. Once it was ready, I received my "reward" and it was good!

It's important to remember that we can't fret about little things. Or ask God "Why me? Why is this happening? Why hasn't this happened yet?" Instead, learn something from the experience in the land in between. Instead of being in such a rush to get from here to there, why not grow and develop your faith during the hard times. God never promised that we'd be free from suffering. It says in 1Peter 5:10 that "the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast". After we have suffered a little while. This was hard for me to grasp at first, but any suffering we go through is nothing compared to what God has in store for us. He is using these hard times to shape our character and to make us well developed. We are not free from suffering; we suffer for Christ's sake. That is why we must endure the suffering so that it all points to the cross. 


Praise God for using me, when I struggle in this area myself, to share this story with others and for speaking the words to say into my heart. 


Here's a video I think you'll like. It relates well to what we are talking about. Enjoy! :)

Fireflight - You Gave Me A Promise