Waiting is Hard
“Mom, can we leave now?” my four-year-old whispered (Thank God!) to me as the Sunday sermon began. “No, not yet,” I whispered back. “Ugh, waiting is sooo haaaaard,” she responded. This is a response she has been dolling out a lot lately—when I can’t stop what I’m doing to get her a snack, when it’s not yet time to go to the park, when we’re waiting for ballet to start, when her sisters are finishing their school work before they can play with her. Waiting is hard.
“ It doesn’t matter how big or small the news or moment is; waiting is hard because we feel the weight of responsibility that comes with what happens when the waiting is over.”
The first time I heard this response from her, I smiled and chuckled at how she sounded like a particular animated blue dog. The second time, I thought I should attempt validating her feelings and responded, “Yes, I agree, waiting IS hard.” Most recently, the now signature response was prompted by being told she couldn’t open a second door on the advent calendar—she needed to wait until tomorrow. Waiting is hard.
Parental wisdom (or guilt?) kicked in, and I thought I’d been handed a teachable moment, “Waiting IS hard. And you know what? That is what Advent is all about. In Advent, we are waiting for and anticipating the birth of Jesus just like you are waiting to open the next door on your calendar.” “Yeah, I know,” she deadpanned. Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. Who knows? She is four, and I may have pushed it a little with that teachable moment.
Ultimately, she is not wrong. Waiting is hard. What are you waiting for? Test results? A decision on a job? Soccer practice to be over? The food delivery to show up so you can feed your hangry family? It doesn’t matter how big or small the news or moment is; waiting is hard because we feel the weight of responsibility that comes with what happens when the waiting is over. We want to control what comes next and minimize pain or damage to ourselves and those around us. We are imperfect and impatient humans. We see throughout the Old Testament example after example of God’s chosen people whining in their own way, “Waiting is soooo hard,” and going their own way. Cue golden calf.
“We can sit together in this Advent moment and remember that the waiting is hard because we are not in control; God is, and it’s better that way.”
Humanity truly hasn’t changed all that much since those Old Testament days. We still seek to ease our discomfort, dodge grief, and cut short our waiting. Let Advent be a reminder that even though waiting is hard, like really hard sometimes, our waiting ends in redemption. Jesus came once as a baby to save the world through his death and resurrection. And he’s coming again to take us all home with him. That’s his plan.
We don’t have to wait forever or devise a way to get out of this waiting game because a perfect plan is already in place. We can sit together in this Advent moment and remember that the waiting is hard because we are not in control; God is, and it’s better that way. We can wait with the assurance that God’s plans are perfect and the outcome is not on us. Cue Jesus.
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” —Psalm 27:13-14