Are you tired of waiting?

Me too.

A few weeks ago, Morris and I were waiting in line to buy movie tickets and there were 4 people ahead of us. Initially, this was not a problem. But, ten minutes later the line had not moved at all. It was a perfect storm: one cashier, a group of six, seeing several movies, and they had credit card trouble. So, I panicked and began giving the cashier dirty looks that screamed "Seriously?"

 After another few minutes, I tried to remedy the situation and stormed over to the concession stand to ask that someone be re-assigned to help with ticket sales. Someone was re-assigned. We purchased our tickets, and hurriedly headed to our movie. We enjoyed the movie, until it ended 45 minutes after we sat down. We were in the wrong theater.  Right movie. Wrong start time.

How many times does this happen in life? We get impatient and tired of waiting and we rush into something that looks right, but it is wrong. Thankfully, this was only a movie. But, it showed me that I still have a lot to learn about waiting.

The problem with waiting is that it feels like your time is being wasted.

Our Time is Not Being Wasted, We Are Being Prepared. 

T.D. Jakes says that nothing we go through will be wasted. He gives the example of Moses. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness after leaving Egypt as a murderer. 40 Years! During that 40 years, God humbled and prepared Moses. Prior to the 40 Years in the wilderness, he was a prince in Egypt. And, he could not relate to slave life. But, in the wilderness he had to work and he learned the layout of the land. When the Israelites needed to be freed. Moses was ready. 

He knew the process and protocols of the palace, he had once been a prince. He understood the plight of the Israelites, because he had worked hard for 40 years. And, he knew how to lead the Israelites to the Promised land, because he had been knocking-about in the same wilderness for forty years leading sheep. 

What To Do When We Are Waiting:

Don't Panic. Or you'll end up in the wrong place, like I did at the movies. God is working on us during the waiting...just like he worked on Moses.

Listen to Your Coach. Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams says that waiting for something to change is like child birth. It is painful. But, pain makes us let go of control and receptive to coaching. Women rely on nurses to coach them through the pain of bringing new life into the world. We should rely on God and listen to Him. So, he can bring us through the struggle.