I’ve been called an impatient person by more people than just Gretchen. And I have to admit, it is true. I hate being slowed down by traffic or long lines at the store. I can’t stand waiting for a special day to finally get here. I’m not good at waiting because I feel that I’m wasting time.

But what if we see waiting not as wasted time but as a season in which God is at work around us?

That time in traffic or in line might be God slowing us down to breathe, reflect and give thanks. Waiting for a vacation or a family reunion might be God heightening within us a sense of anticipation and preparation.

Waiting doesn’t have to be wasted time. How do you see God at work in your waiting?

That’s what I’ve discovered these past couple of months as we eagerly await the birth of our first grandchild, due on Christmas Day! (how ironic is that?) Yes, we are waiting. Yes, we are excited for this day to come. Yes, we want to meet this gift of God. But we don’t want to hurry it. God is at work in this waiting, knitting this baby in Hannah’s womb perfectly to his purpose and liking. Every day of waiting is another day of God busy at work.

I don’t want to rush that.

God is also busy at work in me as we wait, increasing my anticipation. They tell me how wonderful grandchildren are, that this love is something that you can never fully appreciate or experience until they place that baby in your arms. They have a way of realigning priorities, surprising us with joy and increasing a sense of purpose. I’m counting on that.

I am so excited, but for the first time, I can wait because God is at work. I can see it. I can feel it deep within me. Evidently, babies come when babies come, and when the fulness of time comes, I will know two things:

God’s timing is always perfect.

And it will be well worth the wait.

For Unto You is Born a Child

Pastor Scott