[Your] headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…
for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow,
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
Excerpt from “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss
Sometimes, while in a season of waiting for something really important, it seems as if everything becomes a game of waiting. For us, in regards to the adoption (it has been almost 1.5yrs since we signed the papers for our son), we try not to put our whole lives on hold, but there are many things we simply can’t start if we can’t finish (the reality is that we don’t know if we have time to finish them!). For example, Reese’s doctors have recommended a treatment for his respiratory issues that will take 6 months. They said once he starts treatments, he shouldn’t stop them – so the doctor suggested that we wait until our return. So we wait.
In what areas of your life are you having to wait?
Throughout this past week, as I would pray regarding our “waiting place” I was deeply reminded of all the “waiting” children. Children without a family; many of them feeling little hope to ever receive a family. For us in our waiting place, we have hope that the waiting will come to an end at some point, but the pain may never truly go away for them. They are just waiting…
Sometimes waiting involves just “waiting” for the pain to go away, and just like our orphan friends – it may never go away in this life. So is all this waiting “useless” as the poem suggests in the opening line? Is there a point? Is there anything to be accomplished?
Though waiting is atrociously difficult at times – it is fair to say that it is far from “useless”.
- What if I use my time of waiting to just moan about the situation?
- What if I use my time of waiting to think of all I’m missing out on?
- What if I use this time of waiting to… just wait?
Each of these things are “reasonable” responses to the waiting place, but as a dear friend once reminded me – the Bible doesn’t really tell us to be reasonable. My waiting place is hard, but it is not useless. I refuse.
There was a time when I was single and moved for my job about every 8 months. During one of the moves, I was so lonely. For weeks my phone didn’t ring, and the first time it did ring – it was a sales call. I was “waiting” for life to be normal before I made relationships. I was “waiting” for life to be normal before I committed to a church. Even though I was setting my self up for a useless time of waiting, God used that time to spur my heart to do something I had never done before… I was so lonely and bored that I finally began reading my Bible every day. That’s right… I became one of “those” people. This time of waiting produced fruit for me far beyond all that I could have imagined.
I don’t know exactly how this time of waiting is ultimately going to positively mold and shape me – but it is. I don’t know exactly how it is going to grow my boys or grow my marriage, but it is. I continue in the Word daily, and we stay intentional in growing in knowledge and truth.
How about you? Do you believe that your “waiting place” is useless or will it be a time of growth for you? Share your story with me.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where boom bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping,
once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of guy.
Excerpt from “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss
Father God, at times it is difficult to praise You for our season of waiting – but I know the kind of God You are. I look forward to the days in which I realize the many ways you are growing our family during this time. Lord, I pray for my friends who are waiting. I especially pray for those without an earthly father or mother – Father, spur the hearts of many families so that these children do not have to remain in waiting! Amen.