Waiting

Many of us feel that waiting is the hardest part of anything. It can be very hard when we are waiting on some difficult news, such as test results, phone calls from our kids, or even that final calculation of your tax return (prayers are helpful here).

I tend to spend that waiting time worrying or coming up with all the worst-case scenarios that might happen, or could happen, or — if the stars are aligned — are definitely going to happen … see, there I go again.

But Lent is a great reminder of how waiting can be a time for reflection and prayer, and a time to turn it all over to God who will guide us through any difficult situation. During Lent we are all waiting, waiting for the wonderful resurrection of Jesus! Interesting how knowing the outcome of Easter makes us all concentrate on the grace and joy and not on the death and suffering that preceded it.

Why, then, do we not allow the known ending of our story, where we all get to reside in the arms of Jesus in Heaven, to help us when we struggle with the daily waiting? No matter what the outcome, God will be there with us to help us through and to hold us up. We never have to wait alone.

During Lent, I plan to use the waiting time to help me find ways to pray, believe, and strengthen my relationship with Jesus, so that I can better rely on His comfort when more difficult waiting arrives. I know that waiting, in and of itself, is not bad; it is part of life, and many times can even be exciting. I will concentrate on the excitement of waiting, the times when we “just can’t wait until”, instead of the possible worry of waiting.

I will remember that if the waiting for Santa Claus is difficult because of the delight it brings, I can only just imagine what joy Easter brings for all of God’s children –- there is no comparison!

-Jen Rockwell