I can’t wait for season. I can’t wait until I find the one. I can’t wait until I get home.
I am by far the most impatient person I know. God has given me ample opportunities to practice patience: waiting an hour and a half for a concert to begin, the seemingly never ending line to the women’s bathroom, checking out behind the person that bought the entire store and then some, and getting stuck in some summer construction traffic all in the same day (or so it feels like). All in all, waiting gets on my nerves… especially in prayer. It goes a little something like this:
Me: “Dear God, I need you to guide me. What’s my next move? Where am I going? How do I know which to choose? I am a handmaid of the Lord, thy will be done.”
God: *silence*
Me: “Hey God, I still don’t know exactly what Your plans are for me. Lead me to where I am supposed to go. What are You calling me to?”
God: *silence (probably with a smirk or something - He has such a great sense of humor)*
Me: “Hey, it’s me. Just wondering when you are going to let me know what I’m supposed to do. K. Thanks. Bye.”
God: *silence*
I went into prayer with expectations. I expected God to tell me exactly where I’m going, what I am to do, who I will marry, how many kids I have, the make-model-year of the car I’ll drive, and maybe if He’s generous (which He is) the names of my future dogs. While I went into prayer thinking God was going to give me an “Ah-ha” moment, He had another plan in mind: the waiting game.
God gives us the waiting game, not to discourage us, mess with us, or to show us who’s boss. He plays the waiting game because He wants to prepare us for what’s coming as we trust Him and enjoy the now.
So, while I’m waiting for volleyball season to come around, He’s preparing me. He’s prepping me for my future spouse. Just like athletes train in the off season, God trains us in the waiting game for something greater than you and me. It won’t necessarily be what we want, but in the end it will most certainly be something bigger than what we could’ve ever imagined.
But the best part is He’s not just training me; He’s training my teammates, my future spouse, everyone I encounter. As St. Anthony of Padua said in his prayer, Be Satisfied With Me, “You see, until you are ready and until/ The one I have for you is ready/ (I am working even at this moment to have you both ready at the same time),” God is constantly preparing you and me for what’s next.
So don’t worry or be anxious (Philippians 4:6) but rather let God mold you into who He created you to be. Live in the now, find joy in the little things, and trust in His plans for you. After all, we are all impatient to get home.
“The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can’t supply is proof that Heaven must be our home.” –C.S. Lewis
