Yesterday, I had an appointment. We were making good time on the freeway. the GPS app showed an accident was ahead, but it would only delay us four minutes. Then we slowed down. and we waited….
- And we waited…
- And we waited…
- And we waited more…
Traffic was at a standstill for two hours. We had to cancel the first appointment. Did my wife and me waist our afternoon? It felt as pointless as the couple waiting in my cartoon.
When traffic finally moved again, we decided to keep our dinner appointment with friends. After all, we came this far! It ended up being a pleasant evening. The memory of the two-hour standstill faded. Eventually, the wait did feel worth it! It reminded me of this verse:
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12 NIV
It resonates with me because my wife and I have been in a period of waiting. We know things are about to change in our life, but we don’t know how or when. We only know it begins when she resigns from her position as a children’s pastor at the end of the year.
We are all forced to wait once in a while. I didn’t feel joyful, patient or faithful in the traffic jam. But how I waited ended up mattering more and led to an enjoyable evening.
Sometimes, how we wait during this time of year is more important than the event we are anticipating.
