Last week, I had a sick little one and it warranted us going to the pediatrician’s office to get her checked out. We had our books and things to do with us while we waited. We knew there would be a wait. There always is.

I figured if we were going to have to wait then we might as well get some things done.

We got checked in, and taken to a room. After reading quite a bit and even playing on her electronic device, my daughter mentioned that this sure was taking a long time and that she was getting hungry. I stepped outside the room and asked the nurse if there was a problem. There was….they had forgotten all about us. We were placed in a room where they normally place children for well visits and so they well…forgot about us.

The reason I have not been writing as much in this space (I like to call home to many of my thoughts that I share with you), is because I am seriously in a waiting room myself. Sometimes during these times it is hard to put my thoughts out there without revealing too much information and to protect our family in the process. So thank you for the patience in this process. Believe me, He is telling me many lessons I am learning as I wait.

Waiting on God to reveal His plan and roads He is wanting me to take is hard. These are roads that don’t look as similar as the ones before. However, the process is always the same.

God will reveal to us His plan in His time. My job is to wait.

The waiting room can be a frustrating place to be.

I am one of those personalities that wants to make a decision about the situation and move on toward making it happen. This time it is different, this decision involves others. Therefore, there is wisdom in slowing down and waiting on the process of the waiting room.

I have learned several things from the waiting room experiences I have had in my life.

* I can not make them go any faster than God wants them to go.

* God has me in these places to teach me how to have faith and trust Him in the things I can not see.

* The waiting room is a process. A Journey.

What sometimes seems to be a pointless and unproductive waiting room may be God’s most productive work room. Turning our waiting rooms into a work room can be very beneficial.

It is in the waiting that we learn new things about ourselves and our God. That is what turns this room into a work room. Let me show you how I am doing this.

I have realized that I need to resist the urge to complain while I am in the waiting room. I read recently about Paul and Silas and how they were in quite a predicament while they had been beaten and put into the inner dungeon and had their feet clamped down. (Someone didn’t want them to go anywhere!) In Acts 16:25, it says that around midnight, they began to sing praises and hymns while the others were listening. They were not complaining at all and they had every reason to in my opinion.

While we are in our waiting rooms, there are others that are watching us. They are hearing our praises or our pouting/complaining. Which one am I more likely to do?

The next step is to begin searching deep within my heart to find Praises to claim and hang on to.

Philippians 2:14 says ” Do everything without complaining and arguing so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”

Let your Pain trigger a praise as you position yourself while you wait. Praising God for just the fact that you know He is in control. He is bigger than this. He knows your heart.

There are three reasons why God sometimes puts us in waiting rooms.

1 – The destination is something totally different from what we originally thought we were waiting on. Let’s face it – our destinations can sometimes be moving targets. God sometimes puts us in there because there is something He is wanting to teach us that is totally different from our original intent. We could be headed toward the wrong destination completely and He uses this time of waiting to show us a new plan.

2 – God sometimes will teach us something in the journey that will be needed MORE when we get to our destination. We need to have a practice field before we get to the destination (or answer to the situation). Learning new gifts or ways to hear God’s voice. Learning new scripture to better equip us for our destination.

3 – Sometimes God using us while we are in the waiting room to minister to others we would have otherwise flown by. I have found that to be true in my case. I am not casually turning away from those that have “ironically” shown up at my doorsteps these days. They many times are apart of the plan that God is trying to teach me about.

My prayer has changed while I am in the waiting room.

Lord, Help me to stop waiting for what I am going to do tomorrow and open my eyes to what you are wanting me to do today. It is with open eyes to every opportunity I am finding in this waiting room that you are right there with me. You will bring revelation and sometimes that is one piece at a time. I will praise you in my waiting. You are a merciful and compassionate God that hears our prayers…even in the waiting rooms.

Many blessings to you my friend if you are also in the waiting room,

Photo Credit

Linking up with A Holy Experience today in Walk with Him Wednesday’s. Check out her wonderful post!