Photo by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

It doesn’t matter how impatient we are, we all have to wait sometimes.

This can happen whether we’re waiting for a career or business opportunity, to find love or for an experience of God.

There are times when we’ve done the work (or at least think that we have) and the only thing that we can do is wait.

As I see it, there are two kinds of waiting:

Passive waiting is when you sit there as if you’re on a recliner, waiting for things to be brought to you.

You’re not going to get your own drink, remote control or rug for the knees.  You’re totally reliant on others to get it for you and you’ll wait as long as you need to, complaining to everyone within earshot if it doesn’t come quickly enough.

Then there’s active waiting, which is what you do when you’re in the line for a ride at a theme park.

You’re excited, anticipating what’s coming, sharing the joy with those around you and knowing that you’re getting ever closer to your goal.

You may be waiting, but you’re also making progress.

When you’re totally dependent on others for what you want out of life, you could be waiting a long time, perhaps forever.  Sure, it does give you something to complain about, but passive waiting is at best unreliable and at worst lazy.

If you haven’t got what you want yet, but you’re actively waiting, your turn will come.  The waiting, the anticipation and the excitement will all be worth it when you get to the head of the line and get to enjoy the ride.

And when you get what you’ve been waiting for, it’s a great ride!

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