The Waiting Room

It is Monday morning, and I am again waiting on workmen to show up. I love how they schedule their appointments -- between 9 and 12, for example -- and then either show up at 11:55 or call to say they are running behind. A couple of weeks ago, I had an appointment here at the house at 9 am. I moved my schedule around to accomodate the appointment. The clock zoomed past 9 am, 9:15, and finally at 9:30 I called the office. Oh, there must have been some miscommunication, she said. You were not down on his list. He can be there at 11. Eleven went by, and finally at 11:30 his truck pulled in. He was at the house for no more than 20 minutes.

Everyone of us is waiting for something. All of us are in the waiting room, whether it is 15 minutes until supper is ready or something years down the road. Sometimes we don't even know what we are waiting for.

The biggest question is how we are waiting. Are you figuratively flipping through old copies of Reader's Digest, passing the time? Tapping your foot,dozing off, watching the clock, or surfing the web? Or are you using that time? When my friend Leeba Curlin had seven young children, she went about her day with a briefcase of sorts, right by her side in her van. When she found herself waiting for any period of time, a few minutes or a few hours, she was ready. She did her bills, wrote letters, and finished who knows how many books. She redeemed the time and made the most of it.

Are you ready to wait? Are you redeeming the time? The time that we wait is also part of life. God will use it for His glory, or we can waste it on worthless pursuits. Don't just sit there. He has strategically placed you in time and space. There is purpose, even in this. And it may not even be about you.

Wherever we are placed is always a training ground for the next adventure.

Look carefully then how you walk,
not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of the time...
Ephesians 5. 15-16