Lessons from The Waiting Room

Last week I shared that two of my kids were having their tonsils taken out.  A simple, routine surgery I know; however, I have found that when it comes to your children there is NOTHING that feels simple and routine.

Those short procedures felt like they took forever.  It is amazing the way that time often seems to stretch out for an exaggerated period when we have no control over or knowledge of what is going on.  The waiting room is definitely one of those places where time feels like it slows down.  I sat anxiously drumming my fingers as I waited on them to make it to the recovery room where I could see for myself that they were okay.

Yes, I was anxious for them to be out of surgery and back in my care; however, never once did I wish that the surgeon would rush through their procedures quickly just so that I could relieved of my uncomfortable feeling.  No, I wanted the surgeon to take his time and make sure that everything was done correctly and carefully.

After reflecting on this attitude I had in the waiting room this week, I suddenly saw a contraindication in my life.  The trust that I felt in the surgeon and his timing was not the same attitude I had towards God and his timing.

Recently, I have felt like I was stranded in “God’s Waiting Room”.  One of those seasons when it feels like I have been waiting on God to do something on our behalf while you struggle to understand his timing and his ways.  In these times we often feel disconnected from God especially since we  are unable to see the work that he is doing on our behalf.  Often our response to being in this place with God is to pace the floor and nervously wring our hands as we pray for understanding.  We suggest our plans to him, thinking that they will help us move on with our lives faster.  We beg him over and over for an update or a sign to encourage and sustain us through the times of uncertainty.

I thought about how crazy it would have been for me to call into the operating room every few minutes and ask the surgeon for an update on my child or say to him, “Aren’t you almost done yet!”  It would be unheard of for me to have sent him suggestions on how he could possibly do this procedure a different way in the case of my child.

In most situations we never question the wisdom and training of a surgeon that we trust our bodies to… yet we question God’s who we  trust our lives to.  Hebrews 4:12 in the MSG tells us that, God’s powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.  I suddenly found myself wondering… if I would not want to rush a surgeon’s steady hand as it worked on the body of my child… why am I so quick to prompt God’s hand to move faster as it orchestrates the circumstances of my life? 

Transforming our waiting time into trusting time is hard because we constantly have to fight the urge to fix everything ourselves. The lesson of the Waiting Room is:  We must learn to surrender our stubborn, controlling ways and replace them with a trust in God’s perfect timing and activities.  We do not have to see his actions first hand to know that he as at work on our behalf… we just trust and wait for him to open the door to invite us in when he is ready.

This is what I have been thinking about this week… I hope you will think about it too.  I invite you to share your thoughts about this topic in a comment below.