Jack Johnson has a song titled, “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing.”  It seems that much of my life recently has been marked by this triad.  Waiting is hard.  We spend much of our life waiting.  Life is full of waiting, whether it is waiting for an extended period of time to find out whether we have gotten a job, or waiting for an hour at the doctor’s office (I know, that seems like a long time, but that is the point).  We find ourselves sitting while we wait, whether literally or figuratively.  Waiting can make life feel stagnant, and can create this sense that life is on pause.  This past month I found waiting and sitting almost unbearable, because in waiting so much of my heart longed for what was ahead that it seemed impossible to be open to the present.  I found myself wanting to move, both literally and figuratively.  Wanting to go and do something, anything.  It is during this sitting and waiting that we discover the truth of our heart.  Jack Johnson calls this "wishing".  We discover the deep beliefs and desires of our heart.  We encounter the hopes, dreams, fantasies, anxieties, fears, etc. that are in our heart.  We discover our self-preoccupation, our desire to have life on our terms and our belief that we deserve_____. 

We hate waiting.  Not having immediate gratification of whatever we desire is difficult for us.  Waiting feels like torture.  I think of my daughter.  When she asks me for milk, the 30 seconds it takes me to get it for her is like torture.  She so deeply desires the sucking sensation of the sippy cup, the taste of the milk and the experience of her tummy being filled that if she has to wait she will cry, stomp and beg.  If we are honest, even as adults our response to waiting is not much different, perhaps we have simply learned how to be less aggressive and more passive aggressive with our anxiety and impatience. 

However, may I suggest that waiting is a good.  In fact, waiting is a gift from God.  It is an opportunity to open up to the truth of our heart and to bring that before the transforming presence of God.  It is an opportunity to open these places of our heart to God’s truth and love.  Perhaps we will come, not only to embrace the spontaneous and everyday experiences of waiting, but we will also come to embrace waiting as an intentional spiritual discipline.  Waiting is an excellent practice in discovering our true beliefs and desires and bringing those before God for transformation.  

So, might I encourage you to actually practice waiting as a spiritual discipline.  Perhaps there is something in life that you are hoping for, something you are working toward, etc.  Perhaps you can take some steps to make it happen more quickly or guarantee a certain outcome.  Instead of making it happen practice the discipline of waiting.  This doesn't mean that you have to neglect a responsibility or fail to accomplish something, but perhaps choose a reasonable amount of time to wait.  Notice what comes up for you in the waiting.  Use this material to dialogue with the Lord about what is in your heart.  Open the truth of your heart to Him in prayer.  Pay attention to why you really want this "thing", why you really desire this new opportunity and why it is so hard to wait.