8 Things to Do When Waiting

Waiting is one thing many of us struggle with in our instant age. In a place in our circumstances where we have to wait for very little, God still requires us to wait for the good things still coming. We are left to wait, and in the meantime we can learn.

So what can we do whilst we are waiting?

1.      Waiting in many ways intuits lack of purpose; that our goals have become irrelevant. But God has brought us here, to this wasteland of vision, for a purpose in itself. Could he want more from us for himself, personally? The first thing we can do whilst we are waiting is worship.

2.      We could ponder the future without judgment for the boring present, through the use of our imaginations. The beauty is the imagery we create is limitless. This can be a very stimulating environment to rest in.

3.      Being that we don’t exist in a vacuum, we can use our waiting time to think of others, their needs, and how we could get involved in helping. This is a great way to get involved prayerfully. The more we think, the more God furnishes our minds regarding the circumstances of others.

4.      Waiting times are an invitation to wisdom. With nothing settled yet there is still room for influence. Waiting has potential about it. It’s not always a bad thing to have to wait. Again, this may be God’s invitation to us to rest before the next thing starts. Much wisdom is learned in the pools of moratorium and cessation.

5.      Periods of nothingness open up opportunities to try new things. Nothingness is an invitation to openness. A world bright with hope exists there; we just need to tap into it. It seems not to exist in this busy life, but it’s there alright. With openness we bring it into our consciousness.

6.      Waiting is a learning opportunity. When all our purposeful activity is stripped away, God may be communicating that he wants us open for learning. This is humbling initially. Sometimes we don’t want to learn, we just want to apply what we know. But we can trust God because he knows best.

7.      Family relationships can always be improved. When we are waiting, anticipating the arrival of the new thing, rekindling family relationships can be a useful distraction that proves beneficial for the broader group.

8.      Sometimes when our activities have ceased, and we feel we have landed in a vacuum, we wonder what we did wrong. Could it be that we have landed in a vacuum, with space to think, so we can reflect over what we have done? Time for reflection can be time for getting to know ourselves even better.

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There are many good things we can do whilst we wait. Before the next thing comes we can reflect, worship, ponder the future, pray for and help others, learn something new, rekindle a family relationship, and rest. These are all useful activities.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.