“P-l-e-a-s-e, Mom and Dad, I really, REALLY want one!”
This was our middle-school-aged daughter’s cries amid soliciting us for a cell phone.
Despite our repeated, sincere exchange of pros, cons, and detailed explanations, our Amanda held strong to her sole desire to possess a mobile phone which would allow her to join the ranks of her surrounding peers.
“Pleeeeeeze,” she said, with tears streaming down her cheeks. “I need this.”
I sensed her desperation. I felt it. I even understood it and I felt bad. Unfortunately, after our conversation circled (and circled, and circled) the reasons “why” Amanda believed she needed a phone, and “why” we believed she didn’t, my husband and I could not find a way to justify it.
Now, I know some of you may label my hubby and I as nothing short of “ancient” in our policies, even though this was nearly twelve years ago. There’s no doubt our daughter felt that way. Regardless of the fact TONS of other kids already had cell phones, it wasn’t necessary. Amanda didn’t have a job at the time, she wasn’t driving, and we drove her to and from just about everywhere she went, including parties. Call us old-fashioned, but as parents, we didn’t determine a cell phone as beneficial to her at that age, and in fact, believed she wasn’t ready for it.
A cell phone wouldn’t have been good for her at that time. We knew our child and what would be best for her. The eventual possession of a cell phone for any of our children was to be used as a tool, not a toy.
We held our ground on the issue until she was a bit older. We tried, hard, to help her understand that we weren’t saying “no,” but rather, “not yet,” and that when the perfect time arrived, she’d be grateful for waiting.
She had a rough go of it. Delay can be a bitter tonic and her cries of sorrow echoed in the chambers of my heart.
Can you relate?
Have you ever wanted something sooooo bad you could hardly stand it?
Me too.
In fact, I’m currently living in that space.
Recently, I felt led to let go of a project I wanted (and felt I needed) in a desperate way. Through waves of obedient tears, I relinquished the task I’d been working on and found myself smack-dab in the middle of a season of . . . waiting.
I’ll admit, at first, my despair overwhelmed me.
“Why are you taking this away from me, Lord?”
“You know how much I want this, why can’t I have it?”
“Don’t you realize I not only want this, but I also believe I need this?”
“Why, why, why??” (Boo-hoo, boo-hoo, boo-hoo!)
When I stopped my wailing long enough to be still, I began to hear gentle whispers from God. You know, those familiar murmurs we’re able to discern when we’re silent enough to listen.
Whispers that sounded like:
“This project isn’t good for you at this time.”
“You’re not ready for this yet. I want to perfect it even more.”
“I know you. I want only the best for you.”
“I’m not saying ‘no’ . . . but rather, ‘not yet’.”
And finally,
“Trust my timing. It’s always perfect.”
Kinda sounds familiar.
Don’t you just love when the principles we impart on our children come back directly to us full circle?
Sometimes God wants you and I to wait.
More importantly, I’m learning there are hidden lessons in the waiting. I believe God’s wish is not for us to sit back, passive, twiddling our thumbs until He acts. Instead, He encourages us to actively engage in our waiting. Psalm 37: 3-7a says this:
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”
Trust. Delight. Commit. Be Still.
Trust and know a season of waiting on God is never wasted. God’s desire for you and I in the waiting is to transform us, mature us, and benefit us through the process of trusting Him for the outcome.
“Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts.”
— Elisabeth Elliot
If you are struggling right now in a season of “waiting” most assuredly know this:
While you are waiting, God is working.
Father God, help me wait with patience, knowing you are working my situation for good. Help me remain on the path you have chosen for me as I trust in your plan and cling to the hope you’ve given me in the hard moments of waiting. Amen.
