The Waiting is the Hardest Part

We always want to go and DO something. What did Jesus want His disciples to go and do with what He said in Matthew 20:17-19? Nothing really. He wanted them to receive it and wait. Don't run out and change the world just yet. Marinate in the truth first for a little while. Wait. Just like after the cross and resurrection. Go to Jerusalem and wait. That doesn't work with adrenaline junkies. Extreme sports enthusiasts can't relate. We want to act now. Get it done. Bang it out. Check it off the list. We take pride in knowing AND doing. But we run into a brick wall with waiting. We don't do waiting. We hate waiting. We were promised a burrito in two minutes or less and we will time them. We expect results right away and are offended when anyone else is late. It's my money and I need it now! Somebody take initiative and just do something. We get it. But sometimes that something is to wait. It burns us up. Kills us. We choke on time. We have a stopwatch. "The sands of time are sinking" and all that. There comes a time to act. Decisively. Boldly. Confidently. But it follows a period of waiting. You mix the ingredients, put them in a pan, close the oven, and wait. Then you eat your cake. The best things involve waiting. Sex in marriage. A beautifully prepared meal. A hand-sewn dress. A painting. Coffee. Sunset. Sunrise. Fruit. Sometimes days, weeks, years. I left a melon plant on June 24 and came back to a growing melon on July 14. In the Lord my soul does wait. From Him comes your fruit. Wait on the Lord. Cultivate faithfulness. The temptation is always to leap and look later. To barge in, jump the gun, false start, take it by force. The way of peace is to wait. Jesus wanted them, and wants us, to stockpile the truth. Tuck it away for safekeeping. Keep it in mind. Hide it in your heart. So that they, and we, would know the truth, prepare and in time (after letting it take root in the heart) proceed with cautious confidence.