This week I once again found myself sitting in waiting rooms. Waiting rooms are an entity all their own. Though I generally bring along a book, I’ve noticed that I am more fascinated by people watching. People just have a natural struggle against waiting. This week almost everyone waiting along with me had an electronic device of some sort that they were glued to.
I wonder if it’s my age that causes me to think that looking at the beautiful Sandia mountains out the large picture window was more meaningful than texting or reading. I think that many do not know how to be still or meditate on things deeper. Not judging here—because after all, I always have a book and my cell phone with me. And my kindle. Waiting is a concept that finds most people murmuring and complaining, straining against the will. I wonder how many times God may have chosen just that opportunity to speak to an otherwise busy or frantic soul. Many times we wait alone. Perhaps He orchestrated that wait in order to convey a specific thought or message. Don’t you think we miss prime opportunities to hear from God? Or to just breathe deeply and rest our soul for a time?
We all have symbolic waiting rooms in our lives. We are usually waiting on something. Our tendency is to plead with God to hurry it up! His timing is perfect, but to me it usually appears to be quite slow. Waiting on God is the ultimate lesson in patience. For me, it’s a season of exploring the meaning behind the wait. What is He teaching me about myself, as well as about Himself? It’s a refining time. Who enjoys that? The fruit of it, however, is celebrated with richer insights and a deeper peace. I’m reflecting today on past waiting rooms and the joy that results when the Surgeon walks in, calling my name, to say “all is well.”