Waiting is just HARD! Perhaps you don’t have troubles waiting, but the rest of us do. Christmas waiting is the hardest.
Everybody waits. We wait for Christmas, for children to open presents, for special gatherings, for a dessert you’ve been saving up your calories, for a special movie or game. We wait as we stand in line at a store, or sit at a stop light while holiday cross traffic takes their turn. 
Perhaps you are waiting for other kinds of things this Christmas season – like results to a medical test or hoping a person you reached out to might respond. Some people in this world are waiting for their next meal.
Christmas reminds us that all of history waited for a Baby to be born. Mary, His mother, waited 9 months to birth a baby she unexpectedly, miraculously conceived. God, Himself, waited for centuries for the right timing to be stuffed into a tiny human child and become the promised sacrifice for sins. Another interesting tidbit: God is waiting a bit longer for Christ’s return to earth because of His deep love for lost people – not wanting anyone to perish. So even God still waits.
What are you waiting for? What is the hard thing in your waiting? How are you handling it?
One hard kind of waiting is when you are hurting or suffering. Another is when you don’t know what will happen and you are anxious because the risk is high.
Waiting Has Benefits
Waiting is an uncomfortable reality of this world. We spend much of our lives waiting for something. So, maybe we should work at doing it better and making it more meaningful. Waiting is helpful. Let’s look at some of the benefits:
- It validates your experiences with the rich reward of what you are waiting for.
- Time is the only way you get to what comes next. Waiting helps you number your days.
- Waiting trains your heart to trust God with resolve.
- Engaging uncomfortable wait periods strengthens your faith while circumstances hang in the air.
- You develop more and more of Christ’s character as you train yourself to wait in faith.
- Waiting on God draws your heart close to Father’s heart as you live in His love.
- Sincerely praising as you wait for God to act, transforms you from your middle out.
- As you wait, you learn patience.
- Waiting lets you share a tiny bit in Christ’s sufferings.
- Your experiences of waiting help others to be brave in their waiting.
Waiting This Christmas
Of course, waiting at Christmas is hard, especially for children. Adults also instinctively know Christmas ends an entire year. A New Year waits for you to set new goals and practice waiting even more. Waiting can teach you how to relax into the person God created you to be. I’m guessing you can join me as I fill waiting by simply resting in the Christ of Christmas, enjoying His sweet presence, and soaking up His grace. Christmas is filled with the goodness of God who blesses those who wait for Him.
Why not give intentional thought to wait well this Christmas, for the New Year, and for Christ’s imminent return to our earth. “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.” (Is. 64:4. Also: 1 Cor. 2:9)
