Waiting, Trusting, Hoping

Today’s devotional in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young starts out, “Waiting, Trusting and Hoping are intricately connected, like golden stands interwoven to form a strong chain.” It is so hard to wait, trust and hope. We are an impatient people. We want to fix things… like now!

Many of us were raised with the TV as our babysitter. I used to love the Brady Bunch. Their family was so amazing. Every time one of the kids had a problem, Mr. or Mrs. Brady would stop what they were doing, focus on their child and his or her problem, and at the end of thirty minutes, all would be well with their world. I guess I came to expect that that was the real world and that’s how things worked. If only I could get my parents to be more like Mr. and Mrs. Brady! My parents weren’t like Mr. and Mrs. Brady. (Neither were anyone else’s, because the Brady Bunch wasn’t real life!)

But somewhere in my childish psyche, I decided that I would be a mom like Mrs. Brady. I would make sure I was there for my kids and I would solve all their problems within a thirty-minute time span. Obviously, I failed.

I failed to live up to the Brady Bunch way of life, but I’ve learned a lot about waiting, trusting and hoping. I still don’t like it. I still want to fix everything within a thirty-minute time span, but I realize now that it doesn’t work that way.

At first glance, waiting, trusting and hoping seem so passive. Like swinging on a swing or sitting on a porch step, waiting for a ride. But waiting, trusting and hoping are extremely hard work! I vow to trust God, but I find myself picking up my issue or my child’s issue. I have to convince myself to lay it down again, even though I fear things could go bad. At best, I know things will go a different direction and take longer than I would like.

I’ve written several times here about putting my trust in God even with my teeth and fists clenched. Sometimes it takes every ounce of energy and will to pray, “I trust you, Lord, I trust you.” Today is one of those days.