Wait-Hate

Sitting at what I was sure was the world's longest left-turn signal, I suddenly realized that I was being impatient for no good reason. After all, I was only waiting to turn left and then right...into the gas station. Not exactly like being late for an important date!

Wait hate. Many of us struggle with it, and the impatience is making life unnecessarily miserable.

Why do we hate to wait? I have some theories and good guesses, but it is possible that one of the biggest reasons why we can't even tolerate driving in a lane with a slow car in front of us is because we've been trained by our culture to expect everything instantly. Have you ever been "that person," driving and yelling "Move over, Pokey Joe!" even though your windows were closed and that other driver couldn't hear you?

Tap. Swipe. Send. 

Wait-Hate is learned, and this impatience is very costly. Instead of praying and allowing God time to provide direction and confirmation, we mentally tap-swipe-send our prayer texts, and then we rush into our own plans, wondering why we feel so unsettled and unstable.

Here's a tough but necessary lesson to learn: we may think we know what's right and best, but God knows for certain, and He even knows our motives. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12) The word "death" in this verse also refers to "ruin," which is not a happy ending. I've never met anyone that said, "My goal is to ruin my life."

But when we fail to slow down long enough to pray and process decisions with careful consideration, the end result of haste is often painful at best, destructive at worst. Hasty decisions usually come with the hefty price tag of cleaning up the mess that we've made.

Do you have a big decision that you need to make? Join the club. Most of us have big decisions we're facing in a rotation. In fact, having a season in life when no big decisions are pending is like a mini-vacation. Most of the year is filled with the demands of choices, but occasionally, things are quiet and we're simply trying to decide if we want decaf or regular coffee. Ha. So very rare. (And I'll take regular with cream and maple syrup, thank you).

I'm writing this as I sit at the crossroads of several life-changing decisions, so in reality, you are reading a blog that I've written to myself. Waiting for a green light...

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)

Waiting is more than tap-swipe-send. Waiting is patiently tarrying for God's answer. Pause. Pray. Wait.

"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

www.keeptheheart.com

Photos by Taniya's Photography.