As I write this, our daughter, Ashlyn, and her husband, Josh, are in the waning days of waiting. They (and we!) wait with (im)patience for their new baby boy. The “baby corner” of their studio apartment is all set up. The name is selected (though they refuse to reveal it to us at this point in time). The hospital bag is packed. Morning sickness is behind her. Now “all” that’s left is labor and delivery.

They would tell you that they can’t wait another day. They want to meet that baby already! I, on the other hand, have been pulling for him to be born closer to his due date which is January 7th. I want the poor little guy to have a birthday that’s a bit further removed from Christmas. But you know as well as I do that it’s not up to me.

Waiting is an important lesson for all of us. But this season of waiting is an important lesson for new parents. It’s setting them up for all the waiting they’re going to do for the rest of their lives. They’ll be waiting for:

• that first tooth
• those first steps
• the first word
• him to come home from the first day of school
• an illness to finally end
• a sibling?
• the other kids to stop picking on him
• him to bring home the car by curfew that very first time
• report cards
• the results of tryouts or auditions
• a final decision on which college to attend
• the first chance to meet “the one”

Waiting is an important part of life. In fact, it’s so important that God made it one of the “fruits” of the Spirit. In other words, patience is a gift of God. It’s a gift we all need. And it’s also a gift that can be developed. Sometimes the Lord even uses the gift of children to help us develop the virtue of patience. After all, it takes a great deal of it to raise a child in the way he will go.

I know it’s easier said than done. But consider whatever it is you currently await a lesson from the Lord. He will use it to develop one of the greatest virtues a human being can possess. Learning long-suffering patience is something that will do you well in life’s most difficult situations.

In the mean time we wait with patience for whatever it is God chooses to reveal. 

Here’s to hoping (for Ashlyn and Josh’s sake) that this little boy makes his appearance soon. 

What are you waiting for?