Meanwhile: What to do while you wait- Part 1

Chances are that you’re reading this right now while waiting on an appointment to show up, to be called back, or so that you don’t have to make eye contact with anyone (we introverts tend toward that). We are more accustomed to waiting than we might even know. I remember in a former life working at Chick-fil-A, they were beginning to talk about multiple drive-thru options. Yes, CFA has always been ahead of its time! Sitting in a think tank with franchise operators, corporate executives, and people way more intelligent than I was, I asked, “Aren’t we fast enough already?” The response I can recall is as clear as if it is being spoken in real-time, “We are never fast enough when it comes to getting what you want!”

In the human experience, time is a unique companion. Though we are always aware of its implications, we often forget its application. This day will end, this blog post will end, and that appointment you are waiting for will end. However, the season you find yourself in seemingly has NO end in sight! At least it “feels” like that. “When will I succeed? When will they forgive? When can I feel better? How long can I take this?”; are all likely and rightly asked in our time of waiting. Here’s my humble yet very acquainted opinion: in the waiting, we become who we are meant to be. If we are bound by, limited to, and have a limited amount of time, shouldn’t we steward it as well as any other gift at our disposal? Our answer is a resounding “Yes!” but I find the waiting time excruciatingly painful. Do you? So, how should we navigate while we are waiting? What are ways to leverage a “waiting” for growth and health? Can waiting benefit our development as a person, spouse, parent, or Christ follower?

I want to recognize that I do not know what you are waiting for; however, I currently find myself in a season of waiting, so I too am revisiting some of the principles below and in the subsequent blogs ahead. Years ago, while transitioning from one church staff to another, I became very frustrated with God’s seemingly silent nature in some particular issues I was navigating. I was having coffee with a trusted mentor, and he asked why I was so frustrated. It seemed evident to me that God was ignoring me when he leaned forward and said something that still impacts my life today. He said, “When the future isn’t clear (you’re waiting), go back to the last clear word you had from God and wait there faithfully.” Stop. Re-read that. Let that statement, that reality, marinate for a moment. There are some implications I don’t want you to miss:

The first is God has spoken clearly to you in the past. Remember his faithfulness to you historically and how in moments God seemed so close that you could discern his thoughts—more on that in the next blog. Secondly, waiting doesn’t have to be stagnant, wasted time. While you wait, set a few obtainable goals each day/week/month and plod away at those benchmarks. Small victories are helpful in these uneasy seasons of waiting. Finally, while you wait use the opportunity for a bit of self-discovery. How have you changed over time? What wounds or broken relationships must be addressed while waiting for what’s next? (As a sidebar, whatever you pack in your personal suitcase to move, will spill out when you arrive and open it up!) If you have time before what’s next, prioritize health in all areas of life. In part 2 of this blog series, we will discuss what to call waiting and how naming it can help us navigate it.
Meanwhile, remember!

Dr. Christian Nichles, Pastor & Board Member, Pastor4Pastors Participant

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