Psalm 39:7 – “What am I waiting for? I depend on you, Lord!

Why is it that when you are young, time moves at a snails pace and as you get older, time whizzes by?

I don’t get it. We have the same 24 hours in a day, the same 60 seconds in a minute and the same 365 (or every four years 366) days in a year. Yet, there are seasons when time goes quickly and other times is drags on. FOR. EVER.

For athletes, many competitions are determined by miniscule portions of a second. Think back to last summer’s Olympics. How many times did a swimming or a running competition come down to less than one second.

Too many to count.

For a 6-year-old, the days between now and Christmas will go at a snail’s place. For many of us? WAY. TOO. QUICK.

This is how life goes. It’s fast and quick and in a blink-of-an-eye. And then we wait.

At the doctor’s office.
In the drive-through.
For a baby to arrive.
For a text message, email and DM.
All the minutes and hours and days and weeks we have spent waiting.

Compare this to the days and weeks that fly by. Maybe even the months and years?

Our young granddaughter was in the car with me a few days ago. We were chatting about Halloween and suddenly, the topic was Christmas.

“I can’t WAIT for Christmas!” she said.

Waiting. Christmas is a lot about waiting. But before we get to Christmas, can’t we have Thanksgiving first?

Waiting. Do you know who knows a lot about waiting?
(Other than a mother or a father?)

God.

God waits for us to show up. Be present. Give a little of our time.
The Lord is ever patient and slow to anger when we figure out a million other things to do than spend 30 seconds with God.

For God, the waiting is never hard. It’s based on unconditional love that never ends. It can stretch for as long as possible and necessary. God knows waiting is simply part of the deal. The situation. Life.

While we think a few weeks to Christmas seems like a big deal, for God, years and years of waiting for a person’s heart to go from a -3 to a -1 is huge.

The time it takes us to say, “Thank you,” or “Please forgive me,” or “I’m sorry,” feels like an instant to God, even though it may truly have been years.

We withhold love and patience and mercy because of one silly little thing. But God? No, God gives and gives and gives; whether we recognize it and see it or not.

While we thinking waiting is tedious at times and want to speed things up, God understands that waiting for us to discover something or experience something is simply part of life.

God’s waiting game – it’s a great way to reconsider how we view time.

Those years that have gone by and we didn’t talk to someone because we’re disappointed? God has already forgotten the reason why there was a disagreement. Or at least God no longer sees it as a big deal.

The multiple times we feel let down and disappointed by God when it was evil or just something that happened, God never gives up that we will have a change of heart.

The time that passes when we put off something important to God because we are too busy with other things? Really not a big deal to God.

God’s patience, ability to let things go and not become preoccupied with the wrong things is astounding. And something I sure could use more of.

Maybe we can learn something from God about waiting. And time. And what’s really important.

God stays with you long after you’ve given up on yourself. Or someone else. For God, time really isn’t an issue. God never tires of waiting or seeing something through. It’s just part of life.

For me, this thing called life sure goes faster in the second half than in the first half. I find myself waiting a lot less and just hoping there will be more tomorrows. The waiting is not nearly as hard these days. And when it is, I hope that I can simply enjoy the moment and feel blessed and grateful.

For a patience and waiting God, I am very grateful.
Blessings –
Dianne
Thank you, O God, for always being patient with me. Thank you for waiting for me to catch up to You. How I appreciate that Your understanding of time is so much different than mine. May I embrace Your understanding of time more each day. Amen.
Looking for more inspiration about waiting? Check out these!

What if God is Waiting on You? by Sharla Hallett
https://sharlahallett.com/what-if-god-is-waiting-on-you/

Waiting for Change by Ashley Olivine
https://www.ashleyolivine.com/waiting-for-change/

Looking for a bit of daily inspiration? Check out my daily affirmation posts on Facebook (Dianne Deaton Vielhuber and Simple Words of Faith) or on Instagram (diannedeatonvielhuber.)
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