The Waiting Game

Have you ever heard people talk about time spent waiting for something and describe it as a “waiting game”?  That sounds like the worst game ever.  That’s like playing basketball with a squid.  And when I say that I don’t mean playing basketball against a squid, although that would be pretty awful, but I mean using a squid instead of the ball when playing basketball.  It just doesn’t sound like it would be very fun, that’s all I’m trying to say.

People use this phrase a lot in places like the hospital.  As they wait for their results or for the doctor to release them they say “well, it’s just a waiting game at this point.”  Of all the places not to play terrible games, I would think that the hospital would be at the top of that list.  Play a game like canasta, not a waiting game.  What a terrible game.

But the truth is, we spend a lot of time waiting.  Calling it a game doesn’t make it any better.  I read this quote today by Andy Stanley about why we wait, and his point was that often the waiting game of life allows us to be successful when the time is right.  He said “God uses the time before our vision is launched to fasten our faith to him.  He allows us to rev our engines in the starting blocks long enough for us to overheat and shut down.  He allows us to wait until our faith is in him and him alone.  For that is our only hope for seeing our vision through to a truly successful ending.”  Hopefully this will encourage you that if you are in the middle of a waiting game to remember that God knows your heart, knows your hurt, and has a plan for your life.