Thoughts While Waiting For Coffee

I was waiting in the drive-through line at Tim Hortons coffee shop. I waited and waited and waited. Five minutes must have gone by without moving; it seemed like fifteen. I began to have those thoughts pop into my mind. You know the ones. “Did they have to pick the beans?” “Did someone order a chicken sandwich, but they had to go out and catch the chicken?”

Then I got to thinking, why am I in such a hurry? I seem to be conditioned to hurry. In fact, everything in society seems to be bent on rushing me from one thing to another. I get antsy when my computer takes too many seconds to load, or when someone doesn’t answer my email or text immediately.

I finally got my coffee and headed toward my destination only to be held up at a crossing by an endless freight train! Let me explain, this is the country. I’m not on a superhighway that speeds me to my destination without stoplights or RR crossings. Wait. Aren’t they the same highways choked with traffic that slow us to a crawl?

I wonder what God thinks of all this. From what he has recorded in Scripture, I think he must be disappointed in our inability to be patient. Consider. He called Abraham as the founder of a nation in roughly 2000 BC but the nation wasn’t given codified laws and a centre of worship until roughly 1500 BC under Moses. It took another generation until they got the land. The promised Messiah didn’t come until 1500 years later. And here we are 2000 years after that. No wonder God reminds us; “Do not forget this one thing, dear friends. With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8).

Clearly God has time. He is not in a hurry. Confession time; sometimes I wish he were. I wish He would sanctify me NOW. I wish He would send revival NOW. I wish He would stop the war in Ukraine, NOW. I wish He would change selected people, NOW.

On a more personal note, He called my helpmate and best friend home to heaven over seven months ago, but I still grieve. The grieving is okay; I treasure the memories of our life together. But why can’t I hurry up and begin a new kind of normal life without so many tears? Even making such a request seems disloyal for grief is the price of love.

I think learning patience is also the price of love. And I have to admit that going through that learning process during our life together cemented our love for each other. “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another and forgive one another…as the Lord forgave you” (Col. 3:12,13).

I think I need to review God’s teaching about patience. “For you have need of patience that after having done the will of God, you might receive the promise” (Heb. 10:36, KJV). “Let us not be weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9). “Love is patient” (1Cor 13:4). While we wait, we can do good, we can do the will of God, and we can love.

Ah, patience, such a slow growing fruit of the Spirit! “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7). Wait for the Lord. “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lam. 3:26). And as we quiet our hearts and wait, we have the blessed opportunity to meditate on the glories of our Triune God.

So, Lord while I wait for my coffee or a train to pass or an email response, help me to ponder patience, another priceless pearl of character, and send up a prayer for the Spirit to continue His patient work in me.