Wait

I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

                --Psalm 27: 13 & 14

 

Voices from the basement suddenly raised to fever pitch. Four grandchildren, ranging in age from four to seventeen, stretch the boundaries of hospitality to their maximum limit. The little ones, age four and eight, were visitors in the home of the older guys, eleven and seventeen. And naturally, the age range made choosing play activities hard. Factor in that only one of the grands is a girl and the mix becomes even more challenging. 

I sat quietly in my spot on the couch and listened while my two daughters thundered down the stairs to sort out the melee. It was only the first day of a seven day visit. Holding my forehead in my hand, I thought, "Lord, this is going to be a long week. Please help us all to co-exist in this house and avoid hurt feelings."
An hour later, we were all loaded into the car and headed to the mall. The children were peaceful...mostly. Sometimes, we just have to wait. Wait for time to pass and tempers to cool and events to move on to better things.

I've thought about this waiting thing a lot lately. I've always read the Scriptures about waiting in the light of waiting for the big things of life. Getting past this or that hurdle or hoping that such and such major change will come to pass. I've realized that waiting cuts across all areas of life...especially life in families and relationships. If I can just avoid entering the fray or popping off my mouth at the wrong time and making matters worse, most of the time life goes on around me and what started as a small upset doesn't turn into the battle of the century. 

Right now, as we wait for a major event to transpire in our family, I'm trying to take a lesson from the small moments of waiting. Life is just one wait after another...small things and big things. Concern about the outcome - just as I felt as I prayed on that couch and listened to my grandchildren battle in the basement - is a part of life. We can't help being concerned, as long as it doesn't turn into worry. It's natural to want the best result possible. We always want peace and tranquility and everybody happy. So I'm trying to look at our history - in big things and small things. The grandkids had a good week together and learned a lot about getting along and sharing. Throughout our lives, God has cared for us and worked more miracles than we could ever deserve. Whatever the outcome of our current waiting, God is already there.

I know this one thing for sure: I will wait and I will see the goodness of the Lord.

Are you waiting for something today? Have you noticed that we're called to wait in the small circumstances as well as the major matters? Is there an instance in your life you can share with us?