waiting

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. Ps 130:5

That doesn't say "I will wait for the Lord." No, it's in the present tense - it's right here and right now.

What does it look like to wait? Different people do it in different ways.

Waiting for recess in my 1st grade classroom is pretty difficult. My students are constantly asking if it is time to go out yet, watching the clock very closely (although they're not exactly experts at telling time - even when they try to tell me it's time to go out), and wiggling in anticipation. They're not exactly very patient wait-ers.

Waiting for my sister's attention is difficult for her two oldest children, however she has definitely trained them to be more patient in their waiting. If she is talking on the phone or with someone that is there and her children want to tell her something, they've been taught to put their hand on her arm until she has a moment to speak with them. Do they do this always? No way. But, do they do this at times and with reminders? Certainly! I think it is the most ingenious idea ever - I've even thought about implementing something of the sort in my classroom...but it'd be difficult to have 21 little hands on my arm at the same time since they all need me at once. :) So, although my sister's children are bursting with some important piece of information, they can wait semi-patiently by practicing what their momma has taught them.

Waiting at a stop light is not always fun. I was running to Target one night this week, and while I was sitting in the turn only lane, I sat through at least 3 red lights - all of which skipped our left turn signal. Yes, I was a little impatient. But, I waited, at when the light turned green for me to turn, I was so super excited and pumped!!

Waiting on God and His timing is sometimes hard as well. Okay, let's be honest - it's usually a hard thing to do. But think about it - when we are patiently waiting for something, the moment it happens is much sweeter than if we were fretting the whole time. And as humans, we're not exactly born as great wait-ers. It's something we are taught (or not taught, depending on the parents). It's the same thing with God. He teaches us to wait.

So, I wait. My whole being - heart, mind, will - wait on His timing for His blessings in my life.

Hopefully there is a bit of patience in my waiting.