Hurry Up and Wait

I hate clichés. Hallmark cards are my nemesis and Dr. Phil gets under my skin like none other. And yet, I find the old saying, “Good things come to those who wait” fitting for my life at the moment. A quick background: I have never been a patient person and I doubt I ever will be. When I want something, I want it now. Whether it’s pancakes at 11:36pm or my sixth pair of white running shoes or switching lanes at the Kroger 4 times, I don’t quite understand the concept of waiting. And it’s because of my habitual impatience that I believe God always, always, ALWAYS, forces me to wait and trust in Him.

Take last week for example. It was time for our annual evaluations at work, and I was pretty excited to learn where I would be headed in the near future (and luckily it didn’t involve asking, “Would you like fries with that?”). After meeting with my supervisor and big boss, I was quite disappointed in my placement. I had put forth my best effort and thought I had earned my place among the ranks. I left feeling dejected and underappreciated, which caused me to question God’s direction. In a tizzy, I sought counsel from my dad, who I must say, is probably one of the wisest men I know. He reminded me that God’s timing is perfect and that life will happen as God sees fit. It was a mental tic tac (“Vicious Circle” Dane Cook) that eventually exploded into reality. Be still and know that He is God. So I did.

This afternoon I was offered the promotion. Everything has happened so fast and so unexpectedly, I cannot help but give credit to God. Once again, I feel like He’s looking down on me going, “Geez o Pete Lauren, will you just give it up and realize that I know what I’m doing?” It’s a tough lesson to learn, this waiting on God thing. Since this worked out so well, I figured I would try it out on something bigger – like waiting for my boyfriend to ask the big question. Everything in me wants that ring, but I am trying to remind myself that this too is in God’s hands. And even if things don’t work out the way I think they should (like if he spells out ‘Will You Marry Me?’ in Squeeze Cheese on my deck or decides to elope in Vegas on the 4th of July), it doesn’t make God any less sovereign. As Beth Moore puts it, God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. No amount of worrying, griping or complaining is going to make God act outside of His will. We need to remember that our plans and our timelines pale in comparison to God’s grand scheme. I will probably still run to IHOP in the middle of the night and rack up huge bills from Dick’s Sports, but at least I know God is still God and I am still a ragamuffin. Sounds like a good Hallmark card to me…