Is it just me or have we all become less tolerant of waiting on things?  I turn on my computer and start drumming my fingers across the desk while waiting the 72 seconds necessary for it to become functional.  I sit at the red light and get a antsy when the car in front of me won’t move at the instant the light turns green.  Busy signals drive me insane, waiting at the drive up window for my order to be delivered is impossible, and my coffee maker takes entirely too long to put out a fresh pot of coffee!  Is it just me?

In the computing world, there is something known as Moore’s Law.  It states that computer speeds will double every two years for what has now been predicted for the next 600 years.  Good grief.  I can recall turning on my commodore 64 and thinking that the world would never be better… then the commodore 128 came out and my mind was blown.  Let’s not even discuss the iphone in my pocket.  All of this technology runs at the speed of thought… and it’s still not enough for us.

I will assume that you’ve made some statement in your life about reaching a certain place… and when you got there… everything would be great!  You were wrong weren’t you.  We all are.  There’s something about man made things that never really fill that hole in our lives.  We can’t stuff enough food, money, gadgets, or success into that place to fill it up.  The truth is that only God can fill that hole… and it takes a little time to get it right.  Be patient.

Your faith requires patience.  If you approach it like everything else in your life… wanting it all – right now… then you’ll walk away from it unsatisfied and assuming it isn’t worth the price.  There is no magical moment when the entire picture becomes clear and you begin strumming a harp and singing hallelujah.  Faith is a journey that requires patience.

It’s not that God isn’t a “get it done right now” kind of God.  In fact, he explains that when He decides to bring this world to completeness in Him… Christ will return again to gather up the faithful (count me in that mix) and it will happen in an instant… like a flash of lightning.  But while we wait, we are all to continue our journey to know Him better… understand him by reading His word, and living in community with one another.

Don’t give up because you aren’t wowed with a miraculous world changing “boom”.  Find the joy, peace, and contentment in the daily acts of faith.  I’ll offer you 3 things you can do right now to immediately experience God’s grace while you wait on Him to lead you into the next place in your life:

1. Pray a short prayer for 5 people every day.  A quick prayer for peace and strength for people you encounter throughout your day.  I do this as I’m driving or in the checkout line without bowing my head.  Just a quick heartfelt petition for the person.  You’ll be surprised at how quickly your prayer life is transformed.
2. Serve one person daily. Through the course of your day, complete a random act of kindness through service.  No matter the size of the act – intentionally seek it out and watch your outlook change.
3. Pick one book of the bible to read completely.  Investing time to understand who God is and what Christ came to teach us is a fundamental necessity in living like Christ.  I would recommend 1,2,3 John as a good start.  Follow with James.  Go to Jude.  All new testament – all teaching books based on Christ’s life – all short – all pointed.

Now stop sitting around, put that impatient nature to work, and start serving God like there’s no tomorrow (there just may not be a tomorrow).
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