When You’re Tired of Waiting
Okay, waiting is just no fun. Let’s be honest, we all hate to wait. Yet, our lives are spent waiting on everything and anything it seems.
Life is full of waiting. We wait to get paid; we wait in line at the grocery store; we wait for mailman; we wait for a change to come; we wait to grow up; we wait for kids to leave home; we wait to get married, wait, wait, wait, and more wait.
Since we are being candid, I will be honest, I hate to wait. I just do. Not sure when I began to really hate waiting, but I have no patience for it. But I bet you do too. It just doesn’t seem natural to wait. Yet a lot happens in the waiting.
One of the things I hate waiting for the most, and you probably feel this way, is waiting for God.
Yes, God. The awesome, omnipotent, God our Father makes us wait. As a matter of fact, He loves to make us wait. Why? Because there are lessons in the waiting. Lessons, we can only learn in the waiting place of His presence. We can get them no other place.
3 lessons we can learn while we wait… Click To TweetWhile I was Waiting… 3 Lessons I Learned
There are many reasons for the waiting but let me share three that I have gone through and what I learned from them. You may be in the same place as well and hopefully can see that there is a good end to the waiting, indeed.
One, I had to wait for change to come in my life from depression and divorce. This was so hard I cannot even really put it into words.
Depression is a beast of a condition that just robs your life of so many things. You can see your life going but you are not going with it. Does that make sense? I prayed, I fasted, I did things to help relieve depression but it didn’t go overnight. It took a long while. I had to wait. During those depression days, I was not even sure what I was waiting for except to feel better about life and myself. No matter what I tried, nothing worked permanently. I had to wait… To wait and trust God in the moments I was in. I had to wait daily before Him for His touch and His words of comfort.
Lesson 1
What did I learn? I learned that God is a faithful Father. He is the most loving and kind person and true to His Word. I learned that He can be depended on and that He will never leave us alone. Never.
Second, I had to wait for some resolution to my marriage and for my soul to heal. No, it didn’t end the way I wanted it to. It actually died the death of divorce. I had to wait to see if this was a failure or what. To wait for my heart to heal. I had to wait for my life to heal. This was not easy. I felt like a failure and had no confidence in the future of anything. Truth be told, I am still waiting for the rest of my heart to heal. Recovery from divorce is not easy. The pain of rejection goes deep.
Lesson 2
What did I learn here? I learned that God makes no mistakes. Life is a great teacher. Troubles and pain are a great teacher if you embrace them and learn from them. I learned that I was and am a great person. That I was stronger than I realized. I learned that I had gifts and talents and that God doesn’t waste a pain. God doesn’t waste a tear we cry. I learned God is the God of forgiveness, love and grace. I learned God as my Father in a way that I never would have had the problems not come.
At the end of this trial, I actually could say, “thank you for all the wrong you did to me. It made me into a better woman today.”
I learned a lot!
Lastly, I had to wait for joy and laughter. I realized one day that I hadn’t laughed my best laugh yet or lived my best life. It was time to start living no matter what was done to me. I was busy waiting for laughter and joy to return when they had actually never left.
When we hurt to the core of our soul, we think that joy and laughter left. They didn’t, they just get covered up with the pain and hurt. They are there. Trust me. So one day, I decided, no more. Joy and laughter will return. They will show their faces again in my life and they start with me.
Lesson 3
What did I learn here? I learned that the joy and laughter was not something I was searching for but something I already owned. It was mine. It was taken by the man who left or the pain he caused No, it was still within me. Tucked safely away in my heart. Buried under mountains of shame, rejection, and failure.
I dug around the crevices of my heart and released joy from its sleeping place and began to laugh. I chose and I’m here to tell you that you can choose too. Laugh again my dear friend.
When we hurt to the core of our soul, we need to remember that we have the power to choose laughter. Click To TweetBottom Line?
So, turn your waiting into a lesson that you can gain from. Do it today.
Has God ever used waiting to teach your heart? Or are you currently in a season of waiting? We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, comments, and prayer requests in the comments below.
P.S. You can also sign up to receive a free 7-day devotional series on Grace-FULL Waiting by our fellow Candid Gal, Jaime Hampton here:
These are great lessons, Stephanie! I hate waiting, but I know it can be productive and beneficial.
Yes we all hate waiting and I don’t think we ever will really like it.. its just not a part of our nature to wait… But we try
There is nothing that I dislike more than the feeling of waiting for anything at all.
It’s ironic because I am very bad at living in the moment, so I always feel like I am looking forward to someday when things will be better – sounds like waiting, right? haha.
There is a fine line between patience and being distracted by the future.
It’s also hard to trust God to steer for us while we wait.
Thanks for sharing.
Yes waiting is just not easy… I don’t think we all will really ever get used to it but we have to wait… funny the more we dislike it the more we wait.
Yes waiting is just not easy…… funny the more we dislike it the more we wait.
Heather- I stink at waiting and I don’t like it. Guess what, God has me doing a lot of waiting. I think He wants me to learn to be better at it:)
Great post and your tips and what you’ve learned are helpful!
Thank you… let the waiting continue!!!!
Wait on the Lord and be of good cheer!
Yesss again wait wait wait. God is faithful in our waiting.
I hate waiting too. I wrote about it from a slightly different angle, but I agree with your points.
God knows what He’s doing – even when we think He doesn’t….
So true so true
Great post! Waiting is such an important part of our lives, even though it is a tough one. Thanks for sharing.
Your welcome.
God directs all our steps. Sometimes the places we press through feel like devastation and destruction, but God always shows us that He is right there and the struggle is just part of the refining fire. I’m glad you were able to move past the pain of divorce. I’ve been there – and too believe I did all I could do, but the end was (eventually) something that freed me from a destructive place. HUGS! Thanks for sharing. We all have hard places we need to wait through grace-fully!
your welcome
Waiting…it’s can be such a difficult place to be but at the same time one where we can glean a lot if we are willing. Thanks for opening up and sharing what you learned while waiting.
My pleasure. Waiting is just a part of life. A part we just will never like. We have to just settle down and do it
I think God uses waiting to teach everyone who will listen. It’s not fun, but it’s worth it.
Great insight to that. thank you for sharing that
Amazing! Yes we can choose laughter. I was recently telling someone we have power over our emotions.
yessss that laughter is surely a choice especially when nothing is funny
While I might, at times, look patient on the outside, I’m often just ready to get on with it on the inside. Thanks for your wise words about our attitude while we wait. Blessings!
Lovely devo. I am waiting on health issues that have plagued for over 20 years. I have learned a lot during that time, the most prominent thing being that I am not essential to my churches programs and activities! I have learned to conserve my strength for my family. I’ve learned that God is eternally faithful and that He lives us just the way we are!