While I'm Waiting....

I was sitting in the pick-up line at school the other day waiting for my kids having a conversation with God. I admit that alot of my conversations with God are in my car. Apparently cars are very conducive to God conversations. Ask anyone in my Sunday School class. Alot of their daily worship takes place there. My conversation this particular day was probably a little more one-sided than it should have been. My family and I have been having a particularly difficult time for awhile, extremely difficult since the first of the year. And through all of this, I haven't been angry at God, plenty angry at people, but not God. My question through all of this and on this particalur day was "what is the end result, what am I learning from this, what am I going to be able to share from this?" I firmly believe that God can take anything we have been dealt and turn it into a triumph. As my husband says, God takes our messes and turns them into testimony. So in my typical impatience, I want to know where all of this has been taking us. It seems to me that it would be easier to navigate these trials if we know where things are heading. But since I'm evidently not God nor does he seek my counsel, this is not how things work in this life.

So, apparently God thought he had heard this all before, and needed to get my attention. I was listening to a Christian radio station at the time but wasn't really paying attention. For some reason, a song caught my attention that I had never heard. (I admit it's probably been around awhile but I had been divulging in a lot of talk radio and hadn't listened in awhile.) It's titled While I'm Waiting by John Waller. I talk to my children differently. I can talk to my daughter, who's 11, in a more adult manner, using conceptual ideas, sarcasm, giving her a project without having to tell her all of the little tasks that need to be completed. I talk to my 5-year-old in very simple, very clear terms, only giving him 1 or 2 directions at a time. This is how God was talking to me at this moment through this song. The song says:

I'm waiting on You, Lord and I am hopeful (always)

I'm waiting on You, Lord, though it is painful (absolutely)

but patiently I will wait.

I'm waiting on You, Lord and I am peaceful (Ouch)

I'm waiting on you Lord though it's not easy (Amen)

But faithfully, I will wait

The parenthetical statements are mine if you hadn't guessed. John Waller said that he wrote this song when he was going through a difficult time. He said the important thing to remember while we're waiting on God is to not just wait but to actively wait. Serve, worship and be faithful with what you have, where you are.."even while you wait." Yet again God is telling me, "Beth, have patience, I'm fulfilling my purpose. Just wait, you'll see." So I've decided to wait patiently(I'll try very hard), wait peacefully (I promise not to grit my teeth), wait hopefully (this is not so hard), wait faithfully (no doubts!). And while I'm waiting, I'm going to share my journey with anyone who will listen.