There’s a side of waiting that touches the rawness of grief. We’re impatient, we’ll joke, but many of the things we’re waiting for aren’t the sort of thing you really laugh off.

We’re waiting for clarity on a big decision.

Something to work out that hasn’t. Perhaps won’t.

Something to be repaired, redeemed, restored.

An apology.

Acknowledgment.

Forgiveness.

Justice.

Closure.

A yes we’ve worked for, prayed for, pined for.

The right person.

The right job.

The right open door.

The next milestone.

The waiting is only the surface of the story—one slice of the picture. Where there’s sweet, there’s also a sprinkle of salty and a peppering of bitter. Hurts. Lies. Regret. Shame. Things that twist down into our minds, spiral us away from God.

It’s no wonder that “the Hebrew word for ‘wait’ and for ‘mourn’ is almost identical,” as Dr. Brian Simmons points out in the footnote on Matthew 5:4 in The Passion Translation. They’re intricately connected. Perhaps inseparable.

 

Links mentioned:

1. Check out my book recommendation of Stuff I’d Only Tell God to discover more about Jennifer Dukes Lee’s journal, why I’m obsessed with it, more of my favorite prompts, and some of my own filled-in pages.
2. If you’re listening in real time, I’m giving away a copy of Stuff I’d Only Tell God, and you can enter the giveaway through the end of the day (EST) June 12th.
3. Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. Download a free sample from the resource library, and if you want the rest it’s $4.99 on Kindle or $6.99 for the paperback. Grab the bonus 30-day missional living challenge (free with a purchase) to get the most out of the devotional.
4. View the written version of this episode.