Five Intentional Ways to Find Joy in the Waiting
by Mary Sorrentino | May 2, 2012 | Christianity, Chronic Illness, Courage, Depression, Exercise, Faith, Family, Friendship, Health, Life Choices, Living on Purpose, Marriage, Relationships, Waiting |
- Recognize that waiting is not abnormal or out of the ordinary. You will go from one waiting room to another to another in this life. Ask God to help you make peace with waiting.
- Make waiting a productive place. Just like bringing that good book to the doctor’s office, find one or two things you can do to use your waiting time wisely.
- Ask God why He has you waiting. What is it that God wants you to learn here? Is there something He needs to teach you before He can allow you to move on?
- Focus on now. Our tendency is to obsess over getting to whatever it is we’re waiting for while we miss out on the joy of today. Take the time and energy to intentionally make now count ~ even as you wait.
- Find joy in hoping for the future. Often in our waiting places, we’re anticipating something new and better or hoping for a difficult situation to be resolved. What a blessing it is that we have a “God of Hope”(Romans 15:13) ~ One who says “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Hold on to Him and to His hope and joy while you wait.
Your five ways to find joy in the waiting are great advice. Waiting puts us in touch with the homesickness God has wired in us. As long as we’re in this world, we will be between some old normal and some new normal in various areas of our lives. Might as well be fruitful by crying out to the Lord with the questions you suggest.