Tip of My Iceberg

I’ve never considered myself a good waiter.

Not the kind that works in a restaurant. I always wanted to do that because I love talking to people.

I’m talking about the “you-can’t-have-what-you-want-now” kind of waiting. More than a little selfish. Like a child who wants everything they see on commercials.

Only more grown up with my desires.

This past weekend I had a chance to enjoy the wedding of a dear friend who has had to be really good at waiting. I’ve known Jodi for a good chunk of time, and she’s had the dream to be married for as long as I’ve known her. She met Jeff at church and has known him and dated him for quite some time.

She knew before he did that he was the one.

I believe women are often more attune to those relational things than men are. We see possibilities where men see potential hazards. We see hope where they feel hesitation. We craft our expectations with anticipation. Men color their anticipation with questions.

Just saying.

I love Jeff. He’s a wonderful man with character and integrity. He’s a planner. Thinks ahead. Asks the hard questions. Jodi is a bit more of a free spirit. A woman who leads with her heart. She asks the heart questions.

The two of them together are spectacular. Amazing as individuals, but unbelievably dynamic as a couple.

I don’t think I’ve seen a happier bride. Or a more contented groom.

The timing was perfect. They were both at a place where they could fully enjoy and embrace marriage.

But in the process, waiting felt long. Unreasonably long.

Waiting always feels tedious because I’m not getting what I want when I want it. Whether I’m waiting for something to happen or someone to do something, my focus is on getting it now.

Living in an age of immediate gratification makes it even more difficult. We don’t wait for mail, we don’t wait to connect with people, we don’t wait to receive things we order in the mail. (Usually.) We’ve been conditioned to receive our hearts’ desires quickly.

So when waiting becomes part of the equation, I get antsy. The fun of anticipation becomes the dreaded drain of unfulfilled expectation.

I don’t see all the repercussions of what getting what I want means. I’m neither all-seeing nor all-knowing.

God is.

He’s made everything beautiful for its time and in its time. His time.

Not mine.

Are there times when I push and maneuver and make something work the way I want it to? Sure. And those times usually bring disaster or chaos.

Do I manipulate to get what I want? Of course. And that often brings dissatisfaction.

Waiting on God can be tedious. Knowing He knows best doesn’t make the waiting easier.

But seeing what He does when I wait on Him? It’s better than I can imagine it could be.

Congratulations, Jeff and Jodi, on waiting well.

It was a dickens of a journey, but it’s been worth the wait.