Joy Treasure

I noticed myself waiting....waiting.....waiting....impatiently waiting for a four minute light to turn green.

It's only four minutes.

What was I sighing for?

It's not like I had anywhere to go but home. I guess I really didn't like sitting at this particular light for four minutes and it seemed like I was always getting caught at this light everytime I would come to it. That was part of my reason for being impatient. The other part was that I rationalized to myself that I was justified to sigh under my breath for four minutes when really, my impatience signaled something greater going on in my heart. Quickly, I had become quite aware that sighing under my breath might not be able to be discerned by my preschool son, but I certainly wasn't fooling God.  He knew why I was sighing. That thought began to quickly convict my heart.

Although I had a lot on my mind, and thinking that the day was getting away from me, I thought a sigh or two would make me feel better. But it didn't. It actually made me feel worse and affect my attitude.

So I thought about why a four minute light would would get underneath my skin.
I have never liked waiting. But waiting is a natural part of daily life.

Think about it. We wait for morning coffee, and for the sun to come up. We wait for the cold shower water to become hot. We wait for a meal at a restaurant, or a purchase to come in the mail. We wait for a reply, a response, an invitation. We wait for a job interview, and to find out if we have a new job. We wait for an oil change, a doctor's appointment, and for a baby to be born. We wait for a concert to start and a concert to be over. We wait in line to return a purchased item and we wait to pay for our groceries. Waiting IS a part of DAILY living. There's no getting around it, so why not learn to enjoy it and place my thoughts on God?
As I reflected on the many times I had to wait in my day, I realized it was a lot! Was I honoring God in the waiting? I think not. Searching the scripture, I found lots about what the bible had to say about it. I wanted to share three verses with you. I highlighted what God taught me!

Psalm 37:7
"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.."

Romans 8:25
"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

Hebrews 6:15
"And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised."

Waiting patiently. I am not sharing this with you to talk about the context of the scripture. These three verses said the same thing together....waiting patiently. Not wait and sigh because you have to wait. Wait patiently.
I think I got my answer, don't you think? Thank you God for how you reveal truths and reminders of your truth to me as I seek your word.

If you find yourself like me sighing under your breath every now and then, place your thoughts back on the LORD and ask Him to help you through your day. Focus on who He is and thank Him for your many blessings. By the time you get through that four minute light, you will have more to think about than the light will allow.