Nobody likes waiting

This year, birthdays in our household are very different than what we had planned. We had plans for some big birthday parties with lots of friends, particularly as Elijah turned 10 this week. However, with the restrictions on gathering in place, those April birthdays ended up being much more intimate events.

Sarah and I made the decision to get them a extra special shared gift in lieu of having a big party – a computer game console. Unfortunately, plenty of other parents have the same idea; ever since the virus hit, there has been a worldwide shortage of this particular computer games console. And so we went on the waiting list. Our boys did a good job at being patient, but they sure did not like the waiting.

After Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples were told to wait for the Holy Spirit. They desperately know what was going to happen next. They ask in Acts 1:6 “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Likewise, the early church had an expectation that Jesus would return soon, but it seems their timeline didn’t quite match up with God’s timeline.

Waiting isn’t fun. Not knowing what will happen next is not fun either. But both are important for those who follow Jesus. We are called to wait upon the Lord, and trust him for our future. That kind of waiting is good for us, and helps us grow into Christ-likeness.

Let’s be good ‘waiters’ during this unusual time.

Brendan