This past weekend I had the opportunity, along with my church, to serve at the LSU Freshman move in day. To give some background, this is the first year that the university is making it mandatory that freshman live on campus. With some exceptions to the freshman population, imagine in your head thousands of new students arriving to campus to move into dorms in one day. Its no game day, but it’s a big event that requires lots of man power and strategy. My specific assignment was to be stationed in a parking lot on campus to pass out waters to cars that were in the “staging area” waiting for their turn to be directed to their dorm to unload and move in.
And wait they did.
1 hour.
1 ½ hours.
2 hours.
With this being the first year they have had all freshman on campus, there was a learning curve and a few bumps in the road. As high noon approached and our shift in the parking lot progressed, questions of “What is going on?” “When can I get to the dorm?” “Why is this taking so long?” increased. You could see the frustration on the parents’ faces. They were fed up with waiting and wanted to get their destination. Its understandable, we as people often struggle with having to wait.
Think about it.
You are at Target and have all your items and are ready to check out, what do you look for? The shortest possible check-out line. In fact, if you are anything like me, you are willing to walk the entire length of the front of the store to find that line.
The wait between finishing a big test and receiving your grade back can be agonizing for many people.
Don’t even get me started on the TSA line at the airport.
Waiting has become counter-culture. We have now grown so accustomed to our Amazon Prime two day shipping lifestyle, that we forget the importance and the value that comes with waiting. A culture that can become so consumed and accustomed to instant gratification can lose sight of the lessons learned in the wait.
Being in a season of waiting, whether long or short, is not easy. It is full of unanswered questions, a longing desire for answers, and sometimes a feeling of aimless wandering. Yet, with the Holy Spirit within us, its an opportunity to grow, placing your full dependence on the Lord and relinquishing control to Him.
So, we wonder. “God, what’s next?” “When will you show me?” “Where do I go now?”
As these questions flood our thoughts and the doors continue to stay closed, remember to keep doing these things:
Seek.
Keep on seeking the Lord in prayer and reading through scripture. Be steadfast in prayer, going first to the Lord with your thoughts, desires, concerns and burdens. Read and meditate on His word, seeking for wisdom and guidance.
Trust.
Continue to trust that God has a plan for you and His timing is perfect. Trust that He will provide what you need and where you need to go.
Sacrifice.
This is the hardest one for me. Sometimes this looks like surrendering our own agenda to Him in order to receive what He has in store for us. We must remember that His plan for us is far greater than our own.
I am not sure what kind of parking lot you are stuck waiting in with what seems to be no way out. It could look like waiting for a future spouse, what the next job or career will be, or just a feeling that you are stuck in a season of waiting, anticipating the next big thing that you don’t even know what it is yet. So, you wait, don’t just be idle and allow yourself to be consumed of worries of what’s to come. Be proactive in your waiting, by seeking the Lord first, trusting in His ways, and sacrificing your own wants so that God can use you to bring glory to His name.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Psalm 27: 14
