Most of us spend a lot of time waiting. We wait for certain seasons, for particular days, for specific times – always waiting for something. Since waiting is something all of us can relate to, I want to spend a moment or two focusing on the ‘wait’ in our lives. What do you do in your waiting? How are you investing that precious time you are given each day?
Rather than waiting to fall asleep at night or looking at your phone or whining about having to wait yet again for something or someone, why not think of the waiting as an investment. When people invest time in training, learning, or discovering, it seldom is viewed as time wasted because they are gleaning information and skills for a future time. They are not wasting their time; they are investing with the prospect of a future return.
The next time you find yourself waiting, pause for a moment and consider some of the ways you could invest that time. Perhaps you can write down your thoughts about something, you could invest your time by reading something meaningful rather than just glancing through the latest memes on your phone. I think the best way to spend your waiting is in prayer.
Years ago, I ran across a simple definition of prayer that I have held on to, “prayer is communication with God who has the power to change people and circumstances”. What a powerful way to spend your ‘wait’! I have discovered that time invested in prayer about any circumstance I am faced with, is time well-spent. A frequent visitor to the waiting periods in our lives is fear. Fear about the future, the present, and the unknown. Fear about our decisions, fear about our words, fear about what we think may happen or about what actually just happened. Prayer is a great way to avoid a long-term visit from fear.
In this life you will have waiting periods. You will find yourself stuck in traffic, waiting for your food at a local restaurant, waiting for the next great opportunity, or maybe just waiting for something not yet determined. I encourage you to take that time and invest it in something that will outlive you. Rather than spending five minutes or five hours just wasting time while you wait, give prayer a chance and watch what happens. It is a great way to invest your most valuable commodity – time.
Today, live!
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