How much time do we spend waiting? When my daughter was a baby I couldn’t wait for her to be older so we could talk at the dinner table. I recall my first semester of college when I thought college was so exciting I could be a student forever. But that feeling subsided and I found myself waiting for time to pass when I would graduate. Again, as an educator, I waited for weeks and days to pass until summer vacation. Now I find myself dreaming and waiting for the time when I can retire so I’ll have more time for writing and publishing. Today I’m having to wait one more week before I can get my pre-ordered copy of the Christian Writers Market Guide and decide which publisher I want to send my picture book manuscript to. Wait, wait, wait. We wait in lines, wait for grades, wait for Fridays, wait for special events… It seems like I live in a hurry up and wait world. Like sitting on “Go” but going nowhere.
It makes me stop and think. How can I better focus on the present, on what I can do now, and think less about what I have to wait for? I could use waiting time to get better organized, to do those chores I keep putting off, to be a friend to a lonely person, there are many things waiting for me while I’m waiting for something else. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
Lord, help me learn to optimize the moment of my today and waste less mental energy on waiting.
I don’t mind the waiting. I actually believe that it’s the most exciting part in everything we do. I love the sense of anticipation, no matter how painful the ending is.
Janice,
Saw this link in ISI daily digest. You should consider writing devotionals. This is quite eloquent.
Sorry I haven’t kept up with our group. I’ve been busy with an MFA application.
Danette
Thank you for the encouraging words. If you click on His Whisperings in my blogroll you will see that I am dabbling a bit in devotionals. I have been writing comments on the daily scripture readings in my Sunday school literature. Some might be considered devotional caliber but not all. The scriptures correspond to the international series used by several denominations.