I Hate The Wait

My last post was May 8th. Ouch. I go through phases of such busyness that this, writing...the thing that fuels me...gets put on the back burner. Wish it weren't true, but alas, reality bites.

We just got back from the trip of a lifetime to Disneyworld. Fun. Amazing. Precious. Crazy. It really was something I will put in my pocket and carry there for the rest of my days.

I adore Disney for so many reasons, but one thing that always astounds me is the complete intentionality with which everything is done. Every detail has been thought through and executed with precision. Even the wait lines for rides (which can be hours long) has been planned and detailed to the most minute component. For example, as you wait to ride Expedition Everest (a rollercoaster that ends with an encounter with the Yeti) you are immersed in a hiking base camp and you wind your way through a real Bigfoot museum. And none of it looks fake. If you suspend disbelief for a few minutes, you ARE in Nepal, about to go for a hike, and you think MAYBE, just MAYBE Sasquatch is real.

And every ride there is just like that. The wait line is 100% a part of the ride. In fact, the wait line makes the ride that much better.

So it was in those very wait lines that God taught me a biggie... You see, I hate waiting in life. I hate those times when you know God is up to something. A change is coming. Relief is on it's way, but you are stuck in wait mode until Jesus moves. My mentor calls these times "Life's Waiting Room." Another author calls it "The Land in Between." Whatever it's called, it stinks. You're waiting for a job. Waiting for a house to sell. Waiting for a diagnosis. Waiting for healing. Waiting for understanding...for something to finally make sense. Waiting for "mister right." Waiting for a child to straighten up. Waiting for the pain to subside. Waiting for closure. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

We've all been there. The Wait can be heart wrenching, and my bent during these times is to shut my eyes and sort of clinch my fists until The Wait is over. I'd just assume be in suspended animation until the culmination of The Wait has arrived. But as my mentor has pointed out, God will teach you things in the midst of The Wait that you simply can't learn anywhere else in life. The during of the Wait is as important as what's at the end of The Wait.

So thank you God and thank you DisneyWorld for the quick and unexpected life tutorial. Next time I am stuck in The Wait, one of life's holding pattern, I will do my best to remember...

The wait makes the rides better.

the guys in "Asia". you can see "Everest" in the background