Waiting is the hardest part

As frustrating as it can be, sometimes we just have to wait. Whether it's a long line at the grocery store, or sitting in traffic barely moving, or waiting to hear back on something of importance- there really isn't much that we can do other than just wait. Maybe it's the lack of control that we feel being at the mercy of something or someone that we have no control over that is what really bothers us. In my current state it's most likely the latter. Where we are right now we just have to keep moving forward one day at a time and wait for things to change.

I realize that we have some say in our future and we are not sitting idly by while fate takes it's good ole' sweet time t bring about change. Both my wife and I are active participants in our own drama and both of us are trying every single day to stay focused on work and home to help bring about the change that we so desperately need in our lives right now. It reminds me of a story that my Dad told me years ago on the subject of asking God for help. It goes something like this.

If you are out of work and low on money and you need a job, praying to The Lord to help you find a job is fine, but you also have to put yourself in a position where God can actually bless you. If you pray to God to help you and then sit on the couch everyday eating BonBon's watching 'Days of Our Lives', there's not much that God can do to help you get a job. However, if you wake up every morning and take a shower, put something clean and presentable on to wear and get a newspaper and start circling job opportunities to call on, your chances of finding a job increase dramatically because you become an active participant in your own future. Basically you are putting yourself in a position where God can actually bless you.

So this made sense to me and I have tried to apply the principles of this story often in my own life when times have been tough. Historically it has helped me and so I try again in my current state. I understand that our need for immediate relief is more important to us at the moment and that things cannot happen fast enough. However I have always tried to be a realist and I know that sometimes things just take time. It's difficult to wait when you need something so badly simply because when times are tough, the waiting only adds to the stress, and the more time that goes by, the more problems begin to mount, thus becoming self-perpetuating.

When looking for a blessing in the midst of all of this it's difficult to find one. The only thing that that comes to mind is that I still have the memory of all the stories and the pep-talks that my Dad shared with me over the many years that we had together before his passing. I have referred back to these stories often when I needed a word of wisdom or a kick in the pants and this time in my life is no different. So thanks for the memories and the stories Dad- I miss you and I'm thankful for the many years that we had together. It's like you're still here encouraging and comforting us all along the way and at least that makes the waiting a little more tolerable.