But why do we have to do it? Why are we forced to wait? And if we wait, why do we patiently wait?
Waiting is something that human beings struggle with. Many would agree that the American society, especially, does not wait patiently. The customer waiting for his cheeseburger over five minutes on his lunch break is forced to wait, however, he may not wait patiently. The soon to be college student, and high school grad will have to wait for all of his acceptance letters in order to make his decision on furthering his education. If this particular student is waitlisted at a particular school of interest, he may become anxious, maybe even settling for a school of lesser interest just because he is impatient.
Settling.
Settling is the act of choosing something of lesser value due to the lack of patience during the time of waiting. It may also be the act of choosing something of lesser value due to the lack of motivation in the subject area in which required.
In my times of waiting, I have learned that settling for something less than what could be, ruins opportunity. It corrupts one's ability to believe that he or she could do bigger and better things in their lifetime. To settle is to be impatient and impulsive.
With time, God works through you to do immense things. In that time, He can teach you ideas that no one else may understand at the time, including yourself. Sometimes, waiting patiently is a beautiful thing. Life goes fast, and it is difficult to keep up at times. Waiting patiently in the Lord's timing is one of the most important lessons that I've learned in the seasons of life that I've been through recently.
The most prime example that comes to mind is something that I had mentioned as a scenario earlier. Choosing what college to attend requires a great amount of patience in what seems to be an eternity of waiting. I, like many other students finishing their junior year, going into their senior year of high school was pressured with the idea of choosing what step was next in my life. I began blindly applying to schools that seemed nice in catalogue pictures and on their websites. One school in particular caught my eye, and it never left my mind during this entire process. Westmont College would be the school that consumed my mind. The beautiful clear skies, rocky mountains, and the beach that stretched for miles in Santa Barbara played a huge factor in the fact that this school was also everything that I had ever wanted in a school. Being a small Christian school of 2,200 students appealed to me, reminding me that what I craved was a community that would encourage me to be the best I could be in my relationship with Christ. I applied in December, and I waited. I will never forget the feeling I had when I anxiously opened the burgundy envelop that came in the mail in March. "#WestmontSaidYes" printed in bold, white letters on the side caught my attention, making me realize that this piece of mail wasn't the usual advertisement I had been receiving for the previous 3 months. Along with my acceptance letter, was a scholarship for $21,000. A few weeks later, still exited about my newest achievement, I booked a flight to Santa Barbara to tour the school. The day after I returned, I placed my deposit on the school, and started envisioning my life 2,300 miles away from the place I called home.
God had different plans.
Even with my scholarship, I was still unable to afford the tuition at Westmont. I was disappointed, and angry, once again in a state of waiting. Now being in the month of June, I had no other options but to enroll at the technical college of the city in which I was living at the time, or not going to school at all. I chose not to wait, but to settle.
Enrolling at Gateway Technical College, I reluctantly began my semester, resented the school. Needless to say, with my attitude and the decision to rush into something I wasn't ready for, I didn't do well. Although my grades from that semester don't show it, I learned a lot that semester. I learned not to settle for less.
With this in mind, I began researching other schools near me. I came across North Park University. After a few weeks of communicating with my assigned advisor, I made the decision to tour the school, and I fell in love all over again. It was perfect. I was accepted, enrolled, and placed in classes in a time period of two weeks. After Christmas vacation, I would begin my new chapter. Through my time of waiting, everything fell into place.
Had I continued to settle and attend the school I despised, I would have missed out on so many great opportunities. I would have missed out on creating the friendships that will last a lifetime. I would have missed out on being offered the position of a pharmacy technician with flexible hours, giving me an opportunity to chase my dream of becoming a pharmacist someday. I would have missed out on meeting the boy of my dreams, and later falling in love with him by the end of the semester. I would have missed out on experiencing the courses that I would enjoy being taught by professors who genuinely care about the success of their students. I would have missed out on attending a church that has encouraged, challenged, and loved me in more ways than I have ever imagined possible. Most importantly, I would have missed out on learning the value in waiting.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14
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