The Road to You

Waiting is so hard, yet it is also such a big part of our life journey. We wait “to be a big kid,” we wait to graduate high school, we wait until we are old enough to move out, we wait to find our spouse, we wait in lines, we wait for health diagnosis’, we wait to be matched with our adoptive child, we wait to give birth…We wait often.

Today, I found myself in two unexpected waits. One was unfortunately due to a mistake of my own, and the other was out of my control. Neither of which was I particularly happy about. The self imposed wait was the most frustrating. I did everything I could to correct my mistake, and I tried to think of the good that could come from having to wait although I couldn’t think of a lot. With the wait that was outside of my control I went about busying myself with other tasks, but eventually I found myself “caught up,” and still waiting. Now what?

May I suggest a pause, a deep breath, a close of the eyes, and a forced rest. Even if awkward at first, the more a moment of rest is practiced the better you will get at choosing it. Moments of rest might even become something you look forward to. Instead of jumping to the next thing, take a moment to breathe and consider if this is just an opportunity to wait well. Perhaps take a moment to list things you are thankful for either on paper or just in your mind. Look around you, what do you see, smell, or hear? What can you touch that could help you to become present in your moment? Is there a little snack you could eat, a drink you could drink? All of these things give life to the body, and help us to be present in the moment we are in, instead of looking behind and ahead.

I used to use my children’s nap time to wash laundry, clean up, and prep. meals, but when I finally got it all done the children would wake up, and I would find myself mad that I didn’t get a rest and they did. The lack of rest was my fault, not theirs, yet we all suffered from my decision to not rest.

Sometimes, a wait is needed to give us time to rest, perhaps time to heal, time to become aware of our surroundings, time to give thanks for how far we have come, and time to gather energy for what may lie ahead.

A wait can be enjoyed. After all, it is time you won’t get back.

When we were waiting for the adoption of one of our daughters, we used our wait (10 months of active waiting) to do lots of fun things as a family that we thought we might not be able to do for awhile once our young daughter joined us. Not only did those fun adventures pass the time pleasantly, they also bonded our little family, and gave us energy for whatever might lie on the road ahead.

We also prayed. We prayed for what was to come. We prayed for what we didn’t understand. We prayed for guidance, patience, and those caring for our daughter until we were able to get to her. Prayer is essential in the wait. It’s our chance to tell God how we are feeling. He knows anyway so why not say it out loud? Sometimes the act of getting our frustrations out of our head and into the air, is indeed helpful. It’s kind of like a laying down of the carrying of them. Prayer has the power to calm a shaky feeling heart and bring peace so we aren’t overcome by our emotions.

God will hear your prayers. He always does. Sometimes He answers with yes, sometimes no, and sometimes it’s just a “not yet.”

Don’t waste the not yet. I encourage you to do your best to look for the good, enjoy what you’ve already been given, take moments of rest, don’t spend the wait working feverishly, and pray that when the wait comes to an end you’ll have become more equipped and prepared for whatever you’ve longing for.