Wait for it...

At present I am sitting in an airport waiting for my next flight to board.  At the current time, I expected to be home and hopefully napping by this point.  However, things don't always go how I plan or expect them to go.  Our red eye was running late, so we missed our connection, so here we sit.  


Waiting.  This seems to be a common theme for my life and, as I've come to observe, for really everyone's life.  We're all waiting on something.  A new job.  A new house.  A ring from that boyfriend.  A baby.  The next step.  Something that we want that we don't have now.  


As I sit here in the airport, I'm reminded of the little (if any) control I have over my waiting and when the reality for which I am waiting comes to fruition.  Now, for instance, I can't change that we missed our flight.  I can't change when the next one will leave.  I am not responsible for these things.  I am, however, responsible for what I do during the waiting.  Sitting here in the airport, I am catching up on a couple emails, chatting it up with one of my favorite people on gchat, thinking about the fun times that were had on our trip, and day dreaming about my bed.  These activities sure beat complaining about something over which I have zero control.  


So it goes with the big things for which I wait.  I don't know when or if I'll see those things come to reality.  (Unfortunately, you don't get a boarding pass with the exact time and location of your next move for those big, life events!)  So I just have to make sure I'm doing the best that I can with what I have while I'm waiting.  


A wise pastor I know once said, "What you learn during the waiting is just as important as what you're waiting for."  This a good reminder for me on a consistent basis.  Am I wasting this time I have waiting for something bigger and better?  Am I missing the opportunities I have right now?


So, like my dad always says, "Hurry up, and wait!"  ....but be determined not to miss what's going on while you wait.