Waiting Time

Waiting time was one of the topics in my communication class many years ago. I wondered then what the relevance was but I soon got to learn that waiting was extremely important and that failure at this stage could mar the end result of whatever was being waited for. So what is waiting time? It is the period between initiating an action or request and getting that action resolved or the request granted. Between the two ends of the continuum, a lot can happen.

When you order for a meal in a restaurant, you often go sit down and wait, doing nothing but fiddling with our phones or engaging in small talks – nothing important. This is because we consider waiting a passive activity. We sit and do nothing – nothing. But the waiting time is not supposed to be a passive, unproductive time; it should not be wasted time.

Waiting time is anticipatory time. It is time to anticipate; a time to plan for what is coming. We can’t afford to sit and doddle because we are waiting for something; we get busy. When we don’t use our waiting time wisely, it often leads to mismanagement of the what we are waiting for or we may get right into mischief like David with Bathsheba.  Proverb 13:12 talks about the joy that fulfilled hope brings. The truth is that that joy may soon turn to sorrow if it is not nurtured properly.

Many of us consider waiting only in the sense of waiting on God where we just stand quietly and do nothing but wait for God to do everything. Some use this as an excuse to do nothing – after all, they haven’t heard from God.

So what should you be doing while waiting for that baby, that degree, that job, that marriage … whatever it is you are waiting for? Here are a few things you may engage in:

1.     

   Thank God for where you are. Remember that your situation is someone’s idea of an answered prayer.

2.    Make plans for what you are anticipating. Sometimes, it takes faith to do this but it is necessary to see beyond the present.

3.    Remain calm. There is no use wearing yourself out with worry before your requested is granted.

4.    Don’t make it all about you. Look for ways to be a blessing to others. While waiting in line, make that call you’ve been putting off for so long.

5.    Be productive with your time. Is there a new skill you can learn while waiting? Think of ways you can add value to yourself.

6.    Waiting time is a period of prayer. Prayer can be said anywhere and doesn’t have to be a noisy affair.  

Whatever it is you may be waiting for this year, I pray that you will receive it and that your waiting time will be one of blessings.

Stay blessed

I Bi Dem