In Others’ Words: The Lesson in the Waiting

I came across this quote while reading a book by author Robin Jones Gunn last week. Yes, I underlined it, thinking, “This will be a great quote for a future blog post.”

Today’s the day.

We’ve all waited for something … counted out the seconds, minutes, hours … days, weeks, months … and rejoiced when the waiting was over and what we longed for (or who we longed for ) was finally ours. 

But did you take the time to notice the difference between who you were when the waiting began … and who were when the waiting was over? 

I’ll admit there were a lot of years when it was all about the waiting and the wanting for me.

But I’m learning to be more aware of what God’s accomplishing in my heart while I’m waiting. I’m learning to listen to what He might be saying to me — about why I want something or about what my reaction might be if I don’t get what I want. I’m learning to understand that even if the waiting seems unbearable and even if it looks like nothing is happening, that doesn’t mean God isn’t accomplishing things that I can’t see. He’s working on the circumstances, yes, but God is also working within other people’s lives and within my own life during the waiting. He’s readying for whatever the final outcome is, whether it’s the answer I wanted or not … or even more waiting.

In Your Words: What have you learned while you’ve waited?

Oh … the book I read by Robin Jones Gunn? It’s titled How My Book Became a Movie.