The other day Stephen, Matt, and I were volunteering at a local garden where we serve. The spout we normally use to hook up the hoses and water the plants is currently broken, so we brought gallon jugs to fill instead.
As we were filling up the jugs, I found myself growing impatient. I wanted the watering to go faster. I wanted the process to be quicker.
And then I realized that wasn’t what I needed.
I needed to grow patience.
A sermon I heard recently reminded me that waiting doesn’t have to be wasted time. We can turn our waiting into holy waiting.
Time is precious, and how we spend it matters. Yet that doesn’t mean we have to spend it rushing. Not everything is meant to happen quickly. We all know that the things that grow best need time to grow deep roots.
So in that moment of impatience, I shifted my thoughts. As the water poured out of the spout into the gallon containers, I reminded myself this wasn’t wasted time. I could practice holy waiting and use this time to pray for others. I prayed for women who walk miles each day to gather unclean water for their families. I prayed for those I know who are going through difficult times. I prayed for the people who will one day eat the food from the garden we were tending, and for all the volunteers who serve there.
And suddenly, the jugs were all full.
I share this with you today because I know I am not the only one who grows impatient while waiting. If you can relate, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we not see waiting as wasted time, but as an opportunity to bring our thoughts to God and become more prayerful. May we turn our minds away from whining and complaining and toward thoughts that are more useful and life-giving, thoughts that bless both us and others.
For when we practice holy waiting, we may discover that the time wasn’t wasted at all. Instead, it was a chance to slow down and align ourselves with God’s thoughts and ways rather than our own.
And perhaps, in the process, God grows in us exactly what is needed, like greater patience, as I learned that day.
With love and hope,
Shawn