The Big Wait
Waiting. That is one of the themes of life, yeah? I heard a wonderful teaching from Apostle Charles Moore where he described two kinds of waiting. There is circumstantial waiting, where the situation requires us to wait — like waiting in line or waiting our turn. We can do nothing about the situation. We have to wait. Then there is intentional waiting, which is more about how we wait than the fact of our waiting. In the latter, we wait with God’s word and choose to make His word the focus of our mediation and thoughts.
Advent has many lessons and this year, I saw the big wait. Nick Baines, author of Freedom is Coming: From Advent to Epiphany with the prophet Isaiah, says that our reviews of the prophetic and Advent accounts should be paced. We have to read slowly enough to encounter things as the people did, one at a time, in different places and with different details. Our perspective comes from all of the resources we have to judge the entire account. But, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds, the wise men, and others all lived it in real time.
What if we waited in real time?
I admit, this year has made me a better waiter. Like, for real. I had to take one thing at a time, one situation at a time. I had to snap out of the dream worlds I didn’t realize I created, and face my life. This sounds more ominous than I intend; the insights were all enriching and beneficial. In my waiting, I learned (and am learning) perspective, and making peace with patience.
All of this to encourage us all — waiting is not our enemy. Patience is not our enemy. In fact, if we approach the Advent season through the eyes of the people who lived it, we can gain some appreciation for the big wait. I hope. Be well everyone, and wait well.
Dr. Shaunta Scroggins is the founder of The Bereans’ Commentary.
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The Bereans' Commentary with Shaunta D. Scroggins, Ed.D. 
Definitely needed this reminder to wait well!