It's a cruel world, and language can inflict wounds too. For years two words have tended to make me cringe. Not only do they give me the creeps, they are homophones as well, mocking me with rhyme. They are problem areas for me. Weight and wait. For most of my life I've had to deal with my _________ problem. (Insert either word). And, they're getting worse with age. Yuk!
So, OK, patience and self-control should grow as the natural fruit of the Spirit. It would be easy to give myself a hall pass in both areas, you know, the cultural buzz about strengths and tendencies and personality, the stress of the times, and all the other lameness that we humans use to side-step the truth about us. So, yes, Mr. Type A alpha dog extrovert achiever is prone to punching the elevator buttons, tapping the fingers, and poking the return key, with a loud sigh occasionally for emphasis. What is needed here is some action. When my MAC says something is "loading, please wait" I'm ready to throw it in the parking lot. Take that you inanimate sluggard. You're wasting my nano-seconds!
My wait (or weight) problem involves spiritual dynamics, however. Interestingly, in the New Testament when the word "wait" is used it is often preceded by the word "eagerly" (see Romans 8:25; 1 Cor, 1:7; Galatians 5:5; Phil. 3:20). Most of those uses reference "...the day of the Lord...", the much anticipated second coming of Christ. David used the Hebrew word meaning "wait" in many of the Psalms, usually used as a confessional prayer, asking for the grace to wait for the Lord's deliverance. Solomon wrote, "Wait on the Lord and He will rescue you" (Proverbs 20:22). In the Lamentations is the promise "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:25). So, waiting is usually a spiritual virtue.
In most of these instances waiting is the grace of trusting God regardless of the harsh circumstances that surround us. You see, us humans like to take charge of things, to fix problems and correct error, to be pro-active and re-active at times, rather than "let go and let God", as the old adage affirms. More to the point, waiting realizes God's timing in things, the grace to know that He is always working according to the plan of His good pleasure.
Of course, the spiritual graces of peace and joy should over-ride the impatience that pulls my emotional triggers and makes me a victim of my circumstances. So, the "wait problem" can best be solved in a more steady diet of quiet time, personal devotion, what we may call going to the well. Often, the most severe "wait" crisis occurs when the bucket is low or empty. Yes, that makes sense, doesn't it. There's the value of keeping the bucket full.
My soul mate Simon Peter wrote me a letter. As a matter of fact, he wrote it to you too. In it Mr. Impatient, compulsive, shoot-from-the-hip wrote, " Therefore dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found at peace with Him, without spot or blemish" (2 Peter 3:14). Make every effort. Hmmm. It's work you know, dealing with the "wait problem".
Earlier Pete had written, "But based on His promise, we wait..." (2 Peter 3:13). He's provided a way, "His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).
He's got it covered, this "wait problem".
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