Tip of My Iceberg

Life is a learning curve of waiting and watching, of being in the moment and anticipating what’s to come.

It’s not easy.

Anticipation was high for holiday celebrations this year. The grands had plans, people to see, parties to attend. We had projects to finish, ideas we’d hoped to see to fruition.

Waiting and watching are exhausting. The faces of the grands reflected that–not disappointment but the weight of anticipation finally lifting.

They were tired.

We wear ourselves out with anticipation because we think what we want, what we wait for, is central to who we are.

Is it really?

New Year’s will be here soon, and we’ll go through the next iteration of resolutions, plans, and dreams for new beginnings. Commitments to do what we’ve put off doing all year.

And will put off again.

When I make a resolution, the focus is on me–my plan, my changes, my wants. Waiting for life to be different so I can change doesn’t work well–because I don’t easily change.

Life, however, isn’t just about me. I’m not the central character of all that happens, to me or around me. I may have an influence on others, and I may impact my immediate world, but I’m not the major player; I’m a minor character in an ongoing life production that changes constantly.

So I wait. With hopeful anticipation. I can’t quit or ignore what’s happening around me; not distance myself from living in the moment; not forget to be aware of others who have a role in life as well. I need to wait, watch and be present with who is around me and what is truly happening.

I don’t need to manage my image or the situation and circumstances to make them more than they are. I don’t need to impress anyone with what I have, can do, or will become.

Living in a culture of instant gratification can be confusing and disappointing when we’re made to wait for what we hope for. But we’re in good company.

Moses waited forty years to lead the Israelites out of Egypt after taking matters into his own hands in a major fail as a leader.

Sarah waited 25 years to have the son God had promised her.

David waited fifteen years to become king after he was anointed as king of Israel.

Waiting YEARS for something I’m promised, for what I hope for, seems impossible. How did these people do it?

“We WAIT IN HOPE for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield.”

Waiting alone is untenable. It feels impossible, especially when it seems no one else is waiting. With God walking with us, His strength and calm enable us to persevere through the process.

Everyone waits. Life isn’t instant, no matter how much we want it to be. We’ve become conditioned to quick results with our technological advancements.

Matters of the heart, of emotional growth, of internal change, take time. We need the help of the Lord to make such changes. Because He is patient with us and waits for us to have soft hearts toward Him.

I’ll bypass the resolutions and focus on today. Making the next right choice.

Waiting for what’s worth waiting for.

For Who is worth waiting for.