Thanks for all the birthday wishes I received yesterday! The day was not as bad as I thought it would be. I got an amazing massage (happy birthday to ME!) and spent the evening with some dear friends. I couldn’t ask for more!
One of my special gifts yesterday was a conversation with a friend who is single and recently turned 30 herself. Those of you in my friend circle will know exactly who I’m talking about because she’s one of the wisest women I know. Scripture and wisdom just pour out of her in every conversation we have! (She’s probably blushing at this point, but she deserves it!)
Well as we reflected on the challenges of getting older and comparing ourselves to friends who are ahead of us in life, she said something that really stuck out to me. We were discussing the struggle of waiting for the next stage in life, and how desperately we desire to jump ahead of ourselves, when she said, “You know, we’re all waiting beings. We became waiting beings at the Fall. Ever since then, we’ve all been waiting for the return of Christ.”
So perfectly said! As Christians, we live in a state of already but not yet. We have salvation and we share in the riches of Christ. We have hope in a dark world and we are not enslaved to the trappings of this world. We are already saved.
And yet our salvation is not yet complete. We are still stuck in this fallen world, waiting to be set free from it. Many time in Scripture Paul confesses his desire to depart from this world and be with Christ. And sometimes it’s easy to understand that sentiment. We are constantly waiting for the day when there is no more pain and no more tears. No more waiting.
Knowing this, I think it’s important that we wait on the right thing. Yes, waiting is a reality of the Christian life. That is unavoidable. But what are you waiting for? Are you longing for the day when you are perfectly united with God in bliss and worshipful perfection, or are you waiting for your next job promotion, or when you can afford to upgrade your house? Those things aren’t bad, but how woefully small they seem in comparison with eternity!
Allow your focus on Christ’s return to keep your short-term waiting in perspective. Christ-focused waiting is the only waiting that, once attained, will end all waiting forever. No other end to worldly waiting will satisfy us in this way–we will simply find something else to wait on. So be realistic about the fact that you are a waiting being, and then remind yourself just what you’re truly waiting for. You do need a job and you do need a house, but those things will also pass away. What you ultimately need is Jesus.
