The Waiting Game

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience, said American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.

- Henrylito D. Tacio

To which American novelist Josiah Gilbert Holland added, “There is no royal road to anything, one thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.”

Patience, patience. The Holy Bible, the book of all seasons, teaches us how to patient all the time. Take the case of Abraham. At age 75, he was given God’s promise of a son. Ten years later, he was still waiting. Fif- teen years passed, then 20, and still no son. Finally, when Abraham was 100, a quarter-century after God had made the promise, baby Isaac was born.

“Surely Abraham had times of doubt during those 25 years,” commented Dr. Charles Stanley, an inspirational author and speaker. “Yet, he continued to trust God and kept watching for the fulfillment of His promise.”

There are many examples from the Bible. As a young man, Jacob met the girl of his dreams, but he worked many years before making her his bride. Joseph had a God-given vision of blessing at age 17 but languished 13 years in slavery and prison before receiving the reward. David was anointed King of Israel as a teenager but spent the next 14 years or so running for his life before taking the throne.

Those stories were related to us during Vacation Bible School every summer. How many summers have come and go, I can only guess. And time came when the words of Paul Sweeney was the norm and children don’t pay attention anymore to patience.

“How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?” Sweeney wondered.

When I was growing up, we had to wait for days – even weeks – before we received letters from another person. And it may take days again to reach our answers to those letters. In those days, the fastest way of sending communications was through telegram.