How much time do you spend waiting? Think about doctor’s appointments, traffic lights, trains, being on hold, grocery lines, bathroom lines, and the time it takes you to fall asleep at night. How much time would you say that you spend waiting?

I think I spend more time waiting than the average person.  I am almost sure that’s why God gifted me with a rather active imagination, because I can keep myself occupied merely by getting lost in thought during those waiting times.  Besides all of the stuff mentioned above, I also spend a lot of time waiting for my husband.  Being a pastor’s wife means a lot of waiting.  It means waiting for him to be ready after church, waiting around as he meets with people in his office, waiting while he finishes a phone call, email, or sermon study before we can go to lunch, waiting for the busyness of the ministry to calm down so we can spend time together.

I would imagine he would say that I’m impatient.  There are times when I get frustrated with all of this waiting, and am ready to go.  But that’s usually after I hear “I’m almost done.  We can go in five minutes” and then it turns into twenty minutes.  But for the most part, I don’t get too bend out of shape over waiting.  I’ve learned that there will be lots of down time.  I’m trying to learn not to get ready to go out the door until he has his coat on (I sometimes forget that one).  I keep a puzzle book in my purse so I can keep my mind occupied, or I spend time chatting with the spouse of the person he’s meeting with in his office, since we’re both waiting.

And the thing is, with all of this waiting it makes me more able to deal with the little annoying waits of life, like traffic or the doctor’s office.  I think through my to-do list, or people watch, or formulate a shopping list in my head.  Waiting isn’t so bad, as long as you have something to do.