Waiting

Life is a waiting game.  But waiting is not a game...waiting is a test.  Waiting for Christmas...as a child, it never seemed to come fast enough.  For my birthday.  Graduation.  The commuter train.  Traffic jam to clear.  Tax refund to arrive.

Today I received a good news phone call after a short wait of two weeks.  Medical conditions always lead to numerous waits:  for test results, appointments, treatments to end or begin.  I am getting used to waiting.  I waited 26 years to meet the beautiful woman who would become my wife.  I persevered for 22 years to see our first son married and on his own.  Most of the good in my life has come my way after long waits.

What to do while waiting?  What attitude to have, how to bear up while longings are deferred?

I am not one to believe that all good things come to those who wait, even though I do believe patience is a virtue, and that waiting patiently is admirable.  President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said "Neither a wise nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him."  Eisenhower was a man who made thing happen and worked to a more favorable future.

Reading Matthew 25 reminded me to be ready for the Lord's return, be investing my talents and abilities serving the Master in the present, and be serving the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, and the naked poor now.  

In other words, while waiting, stick with the last word you had.  Matthew 25 was one of the last teachings from Christ before his crucifixion.