Waiting

 I believe that whether or not they are punctual says a lot about someone’s character. It also says a lot about how much respect they have for the individual they’re supposed to meet with. If someone has respect, they’ll likely be a few minutes early because they’re looking forward to the interaction. If they have no respect but are simply going through the motions because they must, it will show in their tardiness.

I don’t like waiting. I think I was put off waiting when I had to wait in bread lines back in the old country, but by the same token, I know full well that some things are worth waiting for. You won’t see me pitching a tent in front of a Best Buy to get the latest video game console, but waiting on the fulfillment of God’s promises is altogether another topic.

Two paragraphs in, and I’ve managed to anger the gamer geeks as well. The list is growing; thankfully, I don’t have the time to shed any tears. If it’s worth the wait for you, that’s fine. Don’t bathe for four days just to be the first one through the door so you could go into debt getting that sweet, sweet console that will occupy your time and drain the energy you could have put towards more important things. Just don’t expect me to get weepy for you over your bad life choices.

I get that we’re all supposed to be super emotional about everything all the time. It’s the new fashion, the new drug, and the new addiction all wrapped into one. I’m supposed to walk around drowning in my tears because people choose instant gratification, make irresponsible choices, and end up in a bad place. There’s a difference between the lost and those who willfully reject the love of Christ. There’s a difference between those who are just ignorant and those who actively mock the Bible and the God of the Bible. It’s not just pearls you can cast before swine; sometimes, it’s your empathy too.

It’s my job to assess whether or not what I’m waiting for is worth the wait. It’s my job to figure out if the time I’m willing to allot to something is worth it, and since how time is valued is different for everyone, it must be an individual decision. If I hear that chicken thighs are three cents per pound cheaper halfway across town, I have to do the math and see if the three cents are worth the extra gas, time, and effort to get across town.

For some people, it is because they’re retired and have nothing better to do, plus they drive a Prius. For me, it’s not because I’d rather allot that time to something more productive, even though I could have saved a whopping twelve cents all told.

The Bible provides all the necessary variables to conclude whether waiting on God’s promises is worthwhile. You have the promises themselves, you have the timeline, you have God’s expectations of you to lay hold of said promises, and now you must choose, for yourself, whether or not you will commit to this endeavor or not.

There’s no point in starting the journey only to give up halfway. It’s like striking out for the store with the cheaper chicken, then turning around halfway there just because. At that point, you just wasted a bunch of time and some gas and had nothing to show for it. The follow-through matters. The follow-through is paramount because plenty of folks start out with the best intentions but get derailed along the way.

I understand that no one wants to hear it, but just in case someone snuck in late, he who endures to the end means he who endures to the end. There’s no decoder ring or special codex that will make those words mean something different than what they mean. You cross the finish line, get your prize, and the angels rejoice.

If it’s any consolation, you are not the first nor the last to have to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises. God didn’t single you out and make you sit in a corner while everyone else got their prize. We’re all waiting, but some have learned to wait better than others.

In my youth, I traveled a lot. By a lot, I mean we were on the road for nine months out of the year, only coming back home long enough to get a fresh suitcase full of clothing. I learned that in between the exciting parts, like calling a pastor out for adultery with his secretary, there was a lot of waiting. I realized early on that I could either make use of the time I was forced to wait for flights, rides, or check-in times, or I could sit there twiddling my thumbs.

That’s how I got into reading, then into the habit of carrying a notebook and pen around with me to jot down ideas or insights that seemed relevant to me. I knew I’d have to wait for certain things to occur, and I made the best use of the time while doing it.

Time is a precious resource that only the fool squanders unbidden. While we wait, there are things we could be doing. Things that extend beyond navel-gazing and hoping for an early exit. I’m sure you can think of something, but if you can’t, that’s what the Bible’s for, and it has some mighty fine suggestions.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.