Waiting

I sucked in my breath, ready to sing out the piece being introduced by the worship leader.  But he played two more measures of intro, and I just missed making a fool of myself by singing and unscheduled solo.  That got me to thinking about timing and waiting.  Yep, right there in church, I considered what the outcome would have been had I jumped in rather than waiting, if my timing and the leader's timing had been off.  Embarrassing.

When we first arrived in Germany a new friend drove me to one of the larger grocery stores in the area.  As we left the parking lot another driver pulled out of the aisle in front of us, causing my friend to break suddenly.  Whew!  A near miss and  bad timing.  Someone had needed to wait his turn.  Singing at the wrong time and driving impatiently both have outcomes which carry obvious, sometimes serious, results.

Other issues of waiting and timing are out of my control, but often create greater anxiety in me.  Take, for instance, the move to Germany.  Often I would say, "We would leave right now, if only we could!"  But people needed to hear our story, goodbyes became important, learning about the transition process was invaluable.  Hindsight has proven better than foresight.  Now I see the goodbyes, the training, the learning patience in waiting which would not have happened in me had I moved in my own timing.  I live a more peaceful life, because I had to wait.

"But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,...so the He might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons."  (Gal 4:4-5)  The fullness of time-another way to say the world had to wait, but God's timing was perfect.  This is the time of year the world celebrates 'the fullness of time', Jesus birth.  The Jews of the Old Testament had no idea when the Messiah would come, but waited.  They could not bring to fruition God's promise, and, becoming complacent, many of them missed the timing completely.

So, tonight, as Advent gives way to the Holy Night, I don't want to miss what God has prepared.  I wait joyfully for not just the celebration of His birth, but also the opportunities of waiting on Him in the new year.

Merry Christmas!