Waiting for things can be very difficult, especially if what you are waiting for is a change, or and ending to hard situation. Waiting can also test your patience. It drives a person mad with anxiety and can even cause digestive problems and sleep depravation.
Waiting is not all bad either. Besides all the negative emotions we as people are prone to focus on, there an equal number of positive side effects. Through hard times we learn our strength, and gain confidence when we have finished the peril. Learning patience is not fun, but necessary and to gain a very long type of patience will allow you to keep you mind and body at peace for far longer than an inpatient person. Waiting provides opportunities to exercise hope, faith, creativity, and even can cause a person to learn how to remain positive despite a negative situation.
The Bible has a few things to say about waiting, and in particular seasons.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build...
This Passage is saying that things happen in their due times. There is no rush to life. You can't make a tree grow faster just because you want to. Also, no one can change the seasons because they are tired of one type of season. It is just not possible. Putting this concept into real life could look like; not being able to have a baby until it is time for you too; not getting a raise until the time arises; being unable to force someone to mature before they are able to; and dealing with the untimely death of a loved one, even though it really was their time to go.
This passage is also offering a great deal of comfort in that it gives a glimpse of God being in total control. The phrase is "every activity under the heavens" which implies that in the heavens it is different and that God has it under control. To believe in God is to yield to God and to say something along the lines of; I believe and trust you God and what you choose for my life and what you allow me to go through is exactly what I need to grow closer to you and to effect others for you.
Here are Three simple suggestions to help you through the times while you are waiting.
Be Patient
The concept in the scripture above says there is a time for everything. That means that whatever you are going through will end or at least change. Some one had once told me that to get through a difficult situation she had learned to say to herself "I can do anything for a time." As you go through the difficult task of waiting for the next part of life to come remind yourself that this situation is for a time. It is not for the rest of your life, and that things can and will change.
Trust God
God will not leave us in a situation to our own devices. He is always there with us as we go through life.
No matter how hard the situation, or how much better the next situation may be, it is important to remember that nothing can separate us from God's love. Remembering His love and staying connected to him will help you to trust Him more and make the times in life much easier to live through.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Learn To Be Content
Near the end of Paul's ministry Paul make a very bold statement. He says that he has learned to be content in all things and it is through this that he is able to do all things through Christ. It is amazing to learn to be content. It means that you are able to be satisfied and be at peace with every situation in life. I can admit that as a person I am far from coming anywhere near mastering this concept. From reading about Paul's life in the Bible and from some studies done on Paul's life by historians, I learned that mastering the art of being content is a consistent denial and braking of one's own will and ambition, and allowing God's will and ambition in your life to take over. It is one probably one of the most powerful tools a person can wield. This does not mean you do not feel emotions or that you become a robotic person, but it does mean that you learn to see the silver lining, and you except what is happening for what it is.
Philippians 4:11-13 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Learning how to handle stress is an important part of life. Keeping in mind that everything lasts for a time and that God is in control is the best way to handle life. When time are tough, be patient, trust God, and learn to be content is all situations.
