Dusk Til Dawn: The Waiting — Tuesday
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (ESV)
“Congratulations!” I said through clenched teeth, with a big, fake smile.
Stacy beamed as she walked into her new corner office. She’d been promoted to assistant manager that morning, and I could tell she was excited.
That made one of us.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like Stacy—she was one of my best friends (and still is). It wasn’t that she didn’t deserve to be promoted, because she most certainly did. In fact, my inner frustration had nothing to do with her—and everything to do with my own jealousy.
“When is it gonna be my turn?” I complained that afternoon. Ken, my boss at the time, sat across from me in his office. His analytical mind and stoic demeanor made him highly effective as a branch manager, but pretty lacking in the sympathy department.
“If you’re asking those types of questions, you’re probably not ready to lead others yet,” he said calmly, leaning back in his chair.
Ouch.
Ken never minced words, but he was right. Stacy may have had less experience, but she had hustle, drive, and an eagerness to learn. I lazily sat in my office and waited for the business to walk in—and expected a reward for it. There’s something about being twenty-four that makes you believe you’re entitled to everything.
I wish I could say that went away as I got older or once I became a manager. Unfortunately, there are plenty of days when I still complain, “When will it be my turn, God?”
I’ll be the first person to tell anyone: God is never holding out on us. He doesn’t take joy in making us beg, or suggest we need to prove ourselves to Him for every blessing we hope to receive.
But God is the boss—period. He knows us FAR better than we will ever know ourselves and won’t entrust us to things He knows we cannot handle. Throughout my life, God has often done His most refining work during periods of waiting. Those seasons may have seemed painfully slow, but they allowed me to repent, mature, and grow in my walk with Him.
Even though we may not love His pace, God is still the boss. And the best part is… He’s a really good one.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Do you trust God as the boss in your own life? Reflect on a time when God used a season of waiting to grow you closer to Him.
