The Waiting Room

In my Bible study last week we studied the details that went into the orchestration of the Israelites escaping from their slavery in Egypt. This statement was made: We need to be mindful of what we can't see God doing and confident that His deliverance will come in His perfect timing. Then followed the questions of: a) how willing am I to wait on that perfect timing? and b) how am I being encouraged in God's waiting room?

Waiting rooms aren't fun places to hang out... not even if they give you a free coke and have a television. I wait for my oil to get changed, I wait for doctor's appointments, and I seem to stumble into so many other places to sit and wait. Waiting rooms aren't fun or glamorous, but they unfortunately seem to be a necessary part of life. The best part of the waiting room drama is hearing your name, standing up, and walking out of the whatever sort of waiting room you're caged in!

I feel like I'm stuck in a proverbial waiting room in a few different areas of my life right now. I'm trying to wait as patiently as possible for my name to be called so I can leave this spot to go receive some direction and/or answers. But sometimes I just feel impatient, disappointed, and stuck in a "life's not fair" mentality. I need to find a way to take time to make myself more consciously aware that though I don't see what's happening on the other side of the waiting room's door, God is working on more than I'll ever understand to get things ready for me to walk out of here. When the time is right, my name will be called, and out I'll march... though it probably won't be too long after I strut out of here until I find myself crawling into yet another waiting room. But that's just life, isn't it?!?

One thing that makes all the waiting better for me is the fact that I'm not sitting in my waiting room alone. I'm not a natural loner -- too much time alone tends to send me into a bit of a downward spiral. So thankfully there are a couple people sitting right here with me - tangibly encouraging me with their kind words, hugs, notes, and compassion. Somehow I've peripherally seen these people next to me without truly seeing, hearing, or appreciating them until recently. I've had such a total and complete focus on looking for the slightest crack in the exit door that I've skimmed past the people and mistakenly felt all alone. Despite my selfish, temporary tunnel vision, my eyes are now more fully open and here those encouragers are -- still with me, still encouraging me, and still loving me. This waiting room isn't nearly as frustrating or difficult when I'm able to shift my focus and see them here with me.

If I can learn to appreciate my time in this waiting room by finding a way to be content through the season of waiting, I think this waiting room (as well as the inevitable ones in my future) will be so much more meaningful rather than painful. When it's painful there's complaining, sadness, and isolation - but if I'm able to make this time meaningful I'm free to feel grateful, encouraged, and able to persevere. I'd take more meaning over more pain any day, wouldn't you?

I'm not sure if you're stuck in one of life's waiting rooms, but because I think maybe someone out there can identify with this I thought it was blog-post-worthy tonight. If you're not currently in your own waiting room, maybe you're one of the seen or unseen encouragers busy at work in someone else's. To those amazing encouragers out there - and most especially to mine - please know you are seen, appreciated, and that the waiting couldn't be as meaningful without you!