Do You Know HOW TO WAIT? - Learning How to Wait

Learning How to Wait

Most of us have experience being in a car with a driver who is constantly trying to pass the vehicle ahead of him.  Often, there is no pressing need -the driver does not have an urgent appointment.  Still, he cannot stand having his progress dictated by another driver.  His lack of patience betrays that he has not learned how to wait.  Learned? Yes, knowing how to wait is a lesson that must be learned.  Nobody is born with it.  Babies demand instant attention when they are hungry or in discomfort.  It is  only as they get older that they understand that sometimes they have to wait for what they want.  Indeed, since waiting is an inevitable part of life,knowing how to wait patiently when necessary is a mark of a mature person. 

Of course, there are urgent situations where impatience is understandable.  A young husband rushing his wife to the hospital because their new baby is on its way would justifiably be impatient about delays.  The angels urging Lot to leave Sodom were not prepared to wait while Lot delayed.  Destruction was imminent and the lives of Lot and his family were at stake.  (Genesis 19:15, 16)  In most cases, however, lives are not at stake when people are forced to wait.  In those cases, things could be much more pleasant if everyone learned to be patient-even if the waiting was caused by some one's inefficiency or lack of interest.  Moreover, it would be easier to be patient if everyone learned how to use the time spent waiting in a profitable way.   The next  article will have some suggestions for making waiting not only endurable but even profitable.

It cannot be overlooked that an impatient spirit might betray a prideful attitude, a feeling that one is too important to be kept waiting.  For any with such an attitude, the following words from the Bible are worthy of consideration:  "Better is one who is patient than one who is haughty in spirit."  (Ecclesiastes 7:8)  Haughtiness, or pride is a serious personality defect, and the Bible proverb says:  "Everyone that is proud in heart is something detestable   to Jehovah."  (Proverbs 16:5) Learning patience - learning how to wait-may, therefore, require that we take a good look at ourselves and our relationships with people around us.

Next time:   Do You Know HOW TO WAIT ? -    REDUCE THE AGONY OF WAITING!

The Watchtower, 2000