Surely I'm not the only person to wait until the last two days of the month to get my car inspected and tag renewed (since it IS due on June 30th). That was my thought as I drove to the DMV tag office this afternoon. Think again....I waited in line for what seemed like eternity. Being an observant "waitee" myself, I noticed many things. Disgruntled people with arms crossed and scowls on their faces, young teenagers who waited in line only to get to the counter and have to go back to their car because they didn't realize they needed yet another form, women with noisy children that the scowling faces kept glaring at as though they had never seen a toddler try to wait in a line. I cannot tell you that I observed a single happy and smiling face in the entire line (a line that stretched out the door at one point). Honestly, I didn't mind the wait. I wasn't in a hurry and after all, I was the procrastinator that waited until the end of the month to do something I knew was required three months ago. Actually while standing there I found myself smiling at the dirty little toddler faces behind me, sympathizing with the exhausted mommies trying to get all their errands in before a toddler melt down, and asking an elderly lady with a cane if she would like to get in front of me so she wouldn't have to wait as long. I was in line to renew my license tag, but kept thinking of renewal of hearts as well.
All too often our lives are encompassed and intruded on by waiting. Waiting in lines, waiting for jobs, waiting for the toast to pop up, waiting for water to boil, waiting...waiting...waiting. Each day we wait on something. Some of us wait on things like toast and water but some of us wait for even greater things. Things so great and needed that we pray fervently and passionately for them, wondering at times if our prayers have even been heard.
It's in these times of "waiting" that we also have opportunities that sometimes we miss. Today, I could have stood sheepishly in that line along with most of the others, but I chose to use the wait as an opportunity so show love, compassion, and empathy. I chose to do good while I waited.
It's in these times of "wait" that we can invite God to do great and powerful things through us. Through these opportunities that arise during the stalling of life, we can renew our hearts in God, seek his word, his will, and experience the power from a heart renewal.
All too often our lives are encompassed and intruded on by waiting. Waiting in lines, waiting for jobs, waiting for the toast to pop up, waiting for water to boil, waiting...waiting...waiting. Each day we wait on something. Some of us wait on things like toast and water but some of us wait for even greater things. Things so great and needed that we pray fervently and passionately for them, wondering at times if our prayers have even been heard.
It's in these times of "waiting" that we also have opportunities that sometimes we miss. Today, I could have stood sheepishly in that line along with most of the others, but I chose to use the wait as an opportunity so show love, compassion, and empathy. I chose to do good while I waited.
It's in these times of "wait" that we can invite God to do great and powerful things through us. Through these opportunities that arise during the stalling of life, we can renew our hearts in God, seek his word, his will, and experience the power from a heart renewal.