Expect Delays

The lit Cal-Trans sign stated, “Expect restroom delays.” Needless to say I was kind of confused and then, of course, we laughed. Why would they put that sign on the highway? It wasn’t until we were driving back home that I realized we had only read the second half of the message earlier that day. The first part of the sign indicated that the restrooms at the upcoming Rest Area were being worked on….so….”expect restroom delays.” Once we passed the Rest Area we could clearly see that the restrooms were being refurbished. I had misunderstood the sign because I had missed the first part of the message.

This made me think of my own impatience in life and how I’ve handled some of those inconveniences that life has thrown my way. You know what I’m talking about….those “hiccups” that come our way…the ones that we want resolved immediately; life’s wonderful tests and trials that we want answered without any “delays” so we can move on with life. We’re so used to living in the NOW mentality that this world has come to know. We have drive through everything….bank ATM machines, fast food, coffee, cleaners…maybe even some drive through wedding chapels in Las Vegas (not highly recommended). We want it all and we want it NOW!

But the Bible is full of scripture depicting waiting periods. The two that pop into my mind right now are Noah and Moses. Noah had to wait….Hello, the arc wasn’t built in a day and then the rain, the flood, the waiting period for the land to be dry again. Then there’s Moses….Does 40 years of going around the same mountain mean anything to anyone? The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” And Ecclesiastes 3: 11 states, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” So, why do we stress over the delay?

When stuff happens, and I know we’ve all dealt with some kind of “stuff” at one point or another, we want it resolved quickly. We want it out of the way so we can move on. We pray for a quick response and a quick fix, which is fine, but, we need to remember to expect delays. But why???? Because, in those delays we get the first part of the message. In the delay we gain understanding of what God is trying to do through it all. In the delay, we come closer to the Father and learn about the work that He’s doing in our heart and in our life. In the delay there is time for us to come in contact with the outcome…..a refurbished heart and a renewed life.

So, the next time a problem, dilemma, hiccup comes our way, let’s remember to take the time to see the first part of the message and, at times, expect delays.