FaithInspiration

WHAT TO DO WHILE WAITING

If waiting for you is pleasurable? Wow! I will like to meet you, you must somewhat be special or not of this planet. Waiting is laborious, painstaking and above all boring, either waiting on a queue, stuck in traffic, or waiting for the result of an interview or even for that special someone to reply a Yes, No, or keep waiting.

While waiting, time seems slow all of a sudden, and often times, hell seems to have broken loose with demons lurking at your door and it seems to take this negative toll on us, at least talking for myself.

So what do you do while waiting? What is your dynamic time filler? Do you sit there and wait, or I will prefer to rephrase as “sit there idle and wait” or you look for a way to while away the time spent waiting. I realize that I am addressing a very broad topic here whose scope can range from waiting for the doctor to exit the surgical theater from operating on a dying family member to waiting to see what God promised you come to pass say it’s the tenth year of your marriage without a child to something as meagre as waiting on a bank queue to see a teller.

What do you do while waiting, as simple or harmless this question seem, it can make a whole world of difference.

Take the biblical joseph for instance, He had to wait for years for his dream to come to pass, he experienced thick and thin, roads that seem directly opposite his perceived destination. Or how do you marry having the soon, sun and star bow to you when you change status between a slave, house maid and a prisoner. What did he do in those waiting period. Or consider Abraham who waited for 25 years for the promised son. Or Thomas Edison during the 999 failed attempts at inventing the light bulb.

We will all have to wait at a time or the other. Waiting is not retrogression; it is not the same as being stagnant. Waiting is just a necessary bridge we cross to our desired destination but most people don’t arrive at their destination just because they can’t wait.

Waiting is not retrogression; it is not the same as being stagnant. - @tee_abraham Click To Tweet

Waiting is just a necessary bridge we cross to our desired destination. Click To Tweet

So let me share few things you can do while waiting. Things that will make your waiting worth it.

  1. NEVER BE IDLE

It is rather funny or amusing how some people practically put their lives on a hold just because they are waiting; because the result or the reply is yet to, or because no suitor has approached them yet.

You hear people give the excuse of not offered their desired choice of course of study for the reason of just staying at home, sleeping and waking up, visiting friends and playing games. What happened to learning a new language or a vocation, enrolling for a vocational training or enrolling for a certification course of applying to work shift at a grocery store?

My point: waiting period shouldn’t be an idle period. Be engaged, instead of just staying on the queue policing every passer-by’s fashion, read a book or pray silently under your breadth. If you will think deep, there is always something productive you can do while waiting.

  1. IMPROVE [PREPARE]

When a water body stops flowing, it stinks; it is just a matter of time. Henry Ford says “When a man stops learning he starts dying” (rephrased). In this very dynamic and fast moving world, if you don’t improve in whatsoever field or area of life you find yourself, be it career or daily living, you will soon lose touch and then be out of relevance.

Imagine Joseph just folded his arms waiting for the dream to come present itself at his feet; he would have been totally unprepared at its final arrival. Just like a quote by Winston Churchill

To every man there comes a time in his lifetime, that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered that special chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified to do the work which could have been his finest hour

Joseph used Potiphar’s house as an internship opportunity to sharpen his leadership and management skills even as a slave. Same as a prisoner, he got so good at it that the prison keeper left all the prisoners and their day to day activities and living into his hands without looking back or question his authority or choices.

By the time he was finally released and made a prime minister of the then Egypt; the world ruling kingdom. He was ready, well groomed (prepared) for the task. Note, the role of a prime minister was not a spiritual role, but political and commercial. If he had sat still, he would have been totally unfit for that post (assignment). Just like the words of Henry Hartman “When preparation meets opportunity, success is inevitable”.

I am sure the testimony of his prudence and intelligence went ahead of him, making Pharaoh himself confess that there was no other person in the whole of the kingdom qualified for that new office. He was prepared.

Waiting period is not a time to just wait but preparing for the task ahead. Learn how to cook and make a home, nurse a baby while you are waiting for a man (suitor) to ask for your hand in marriage so that when it finally happens you will be ready

  1. Be still

I will like to conclude this blog post with this. With waiting comes the natural tendency to be apprehensive, anxious and like opened with, it is laborious, painstaking. You see your mind crowded with voices telling you how worse things might get. It is in those times, how terrible or irredeemable situations are. So what do you do? BE STILL, HOLD YOU PEACE, God is telling you “Be still, and know that I am God…Psalm 46:10”. Since it is obvious there is nothing you can do of yourself, by your own strength or wisdom, it is best to just give it all up in God’s care.

You can read a lot more on how in a previous I titled “HOW I GAVE IT UP”,.

I will want to answer your questions and also feature read and learn form your comments and contributions. Kindly leave one in the comment session below.

About author

Articles

Tolulope Oludapo is a young Christian who lends his voice through the media by sharing practical wisdom for everyday living in the most experiential and simplified fashion. This has fetched him the direct followership of over 30,000 users on his blog, lifegiva.com. A blog he founded. He loves to write on varying subjects that affect life, faith, relationship...everyday living.
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