Life is all about waiting; waiting to be born, to grow, to learn, to get job, to find a partner, to have a good time and finally waiting to go to a new world. If life is all about waiting, then what to wait for and how to wait, is a matter for everyone. Some wait in anxiety and irritation. Some wait in fear and worry. Some wait in pain and suffering. However, some wait in hope and joy. One of the good things of living in Carlyle is the saving of a lot of waiting time in public service sectors. I seldom see a line up in a bank, in front of a cashier in stores or in other places. It is always easy to have access to whatever and to wherever one wants without having to wait in line ups or at traffic lights. I think that it is convenient but not good for personal discipline on one's life journey.
If life is all about waiting, then we have to know and learn how to wait and for what to wait. An old proverb says, "everything comes to those who wait." What to wait for depends on each one's own goals and purposes such as each individual's dream, vision, achievement, work, hobby and so on. But how to wait is a different story. To know and learn how to wait is a whole lot different ball game on the way of our life journey. Some make themselves easy and relaxed while they are waiting. Some enjoy and are glad in hope and vision of achieving something while they are waiting. Some murmur and complain all the time while they are waiting. Some, however, work hard and prepare for the future while they are waiting. While we all are waiting, we have to remember what to wait for and how to wait.
As long as we are waiting, there is hope. Something good will come to those who wait in patience, endurance and perseverance. Another old proverb says, "slow but steady wins the race." Nowadays nobody wants to wait, but we should wait. Although we have easy access to fast food, quick services, automatic machines or one stop shopping malls, this kind of instant, quick, automatic or one stop gratification never really happens in human life. The more one accesses fast food, the more one seems to have to spend time in a waiting room in a hospital. The more one accesses quick fixes to life problem, the longer time one has to spend on damage control. Simply put, there is no an automatic machine in the matters and things in human life. There is always need for a period of time for consumption, a demand for a proper way of maintenance, and taking a consistent care of our body, mind and soul.
Unfortunately we are living in a world where things are rapidly changing, with instant happiness, quick services and automatic results constantly advertised. Our modern society incites us to be impatient, irritated and anxious to get whatever we want to and to become what we want to be without waiting, patience and hope. The Bible says, "one who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled better than one who captures a city" (Proverb 16:32). Time goes by so fast. No matter what, life is all about waiting. A reason why God grants everyone a time to wait is that while we are waiting we have time to do something for the sake of our well being and enjoyment, and to prepare for the future in patience and hope. As long as we are waiting there is hope indeed. Let us think about what to wait for and how to wait, that is all your and my responsibility.
