Tag: waiting

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Sometimes all you have to do is wait

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Valentin Wallet on Unsplash

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 64.

From of old no one has heard
    or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
    who acts for those who wait for him.
You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
    those who remember you in your ways. (Isaiah 64:4,5)

This description of God brings up a good question, “Should I do something or wait for God to take care of it?” After all, he “acts for those who wait for him.”

Most people probably believe that you can’t just sit around and wait for God to take care of a situation. You get to work and do what needs to be done.

And yet on the other hand, in retrospect, God takes care of a lot of things without our help.

My garden is a good example. I had high hopes for lots of home grown veggies. I made raised boxes, filled them with good soil, supplemented the soil with homemade compost, built chicken wire cages to keep the squirrels out, watered, weeded, and staked up the tomatoes. Most of the lettuce died, a got more than enough jalapenos, and found out that cherry tomatoes are the only ones that grow well in my beds.

I didn’t plant much this past spring. (In Florida you plant in February or October, when the weather is a little better.) Lots of weeds grew. But so did a pepper plant. A green bell pepper plant. Which I’ve never planted. It must have been from the compost. I walked out there one day and harvested two pretty nice peppers for my salads. All courtesy of the creator, who made fruit-bearing plants that reproduced themselves.

All I had to do was wait.

I take medicine when I don’t feel well. But for the most part, my immune system takes care of my ailments and I feel better after a few days of rest.

All I have to do is wait.

Earlier this year, I worked hard to rehab our backyard lawn that had been torn up by an energetic Great Dane puppy. Sod, sod plus, filling holes, and taking her for more walks. Then the rains came, and the yard suddenly came to life. The grass grew in nice and thick so that I had to start cutting it every 4 or 5 days.

All I had to do was wait.

God provides in lots of different ways. Parents while we’re growing up, jobs and the ability to do them, friends who help us out, a earth filled with resources, and government. So no matter how hard you work, he ultimately gets the credit. And if you choose to wait, he gets the credit as well.

To God be the glory.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I just can’t wait to be king!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Christian Chen on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Samuel 15.

The light turned green, but I waited for a moment. In that moment, a car sped through the intersection. If I hadn’t hesitated, I might have died in the collision.

I’m very glad I waited.

If Absalom had just waited, he would have ascended to the throne when his father David died. But he can’t wait. He just can’t wait to be king.

So Absalom starts acting like he’s running for office.

  • He rides around in a chariot with fifty attendants, as if he were the king (2 Samuel 15:1). Optics are important, right?
  • He’s got time for people who can’t get an audience with the king. He makes campaign promises like, “If I were appointed judge in the land…everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.” (15:4)
  • He treats everyone like a friend. “Whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him” (15:5). 

Absalom did this for four years and “stole the hearts of the people of Israel” (15:6). His popularity soars and the people are willing to declare him to be king. David wisely flees before any violence breaks out.

There will be plenty of violence. But when the dust settles, Absalom dies. David retains the throne.

If only Absalom had waited.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Waiting just a little longer

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Dima Solomin on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Samuel 13.

What if I had waited just a few more hours?

We had no power because of the most recent hurricane. The electric company estimated our service wouldn’t be restored for another five days. Great. Life-threatening? No. Inconvenient? Very much so.

I headed out in the morning and filled up six two-gallon gas cans for the generator. I bought two more long extension cords to bring a little power into different parts of the house.

About 3:00 in the afternoon, the lights in the house lit up and the AC turned on.

What if I had waited just a few more hours?

King Saul found himself in a tight spot. The huge Philistine army is bearing down on him. His own army has dwindled to six hundred as more and more went home. It’s been seven days and Samuel hasn’t show up. Saul has to do something. He’s king. He’s the leader. Everyone is looking to him for direction.

So Saul offers up the pre-battle burnt offering himself. As soon as he does, Samuel shows up and asks, “What are you doing?”

Saul said, “The people were scattering, you didn’t come, the Philistines were on their way, so I did what I had to do” (1 Samuel 13:12).

Samuel says, “That was foolish and disobedient. Say goodbye to your kingdom. God is going to find someone else to rule his people” (13:13,14). God is going to find someone who trusts him.

I am much more like Saul than I like to admit. I’m patient, but I’m not that patient. I trust God, but I’m on a schedule. My souls waits for the Lord, but you’ll often catch me glancing at my watch.

Ultimately, the only one who can really take care of God’s people is Jesus, who is God himself. Ultimately, he’s the only one I can trust. Not me. Not my judgment. Not my capability. Only him.

Posted in waiting

Patiently waiting

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Someone coined the phrase “an exercise in patience.” I guess it’s good to exercise your patience from time to time. I got the chance two times yesterday.

The first occasion was, of course, at Walmart. There were only a few people at the self-checkout machines and cashiers. But all of them had huge carts full of items, and they all seemed puzzled by the self-checkout stations. I told myself, “You’re not in a hurry; just be patient.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw no one in line for the ten items or less checkout. Sweet. I hopped over there and put my three items down. What I hadn’t noticed was two cashiers staring at the touch screen with furrowed brows and concerned looks on their faces. The only customer ahead of me was showing them pictures of prices that hadn’t scanned properly, and they were trying to figure out how to make it right. Finally, they got it to work. But he had yet another picture of a price for them to enter manually, which required another supervisors to tap in some numbers. By now the line behind me was six people long. The same people were still bagging groceries at self-checkout. I thought, “Just be patient. Just be patient.”

After about six or seven minutes, it was my turn, and the cashier kindly thanked me for my patience.

Next, I took our Great Dane to the vet for her monthly weigh in and heart worm medication purchase. It was about five minutes after noon, and one tech was working the front desk while the other front office people were sitting outside eating lunch. We headed over to the scale to learn that our six month old puppy now weighed seventy pounds. She gained twenty pounds in the last month.

Two other pet owners walked in while we were at the scale. One needed some records. The other needed some medication. So my dog and I wandered around looking at the salt water fish tank, the dog food displays, and a few toys for sale. After about ten minutes, it was our turn, but the tech asked, “Can you wait one more minute? I’ve had people on hold for ten minutes.” I said, “Sure,” mostly because I spotted jars of free dog treats on the counter. After a few minutes on the phone, she thanked me for my patience, she got the heart worm and flea pill we needed for the month.

I often thanked for my patience, which makes me wonder if that’s a rare experience for those in retail or health care or whatever. Judging by the way people drive, push their way through stores, and complain loudly on their phones, I’m sure it is.

Posted in coffee

A surprisingly good cup of coffee

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The service adviser said, “It’s going to be about three to four hours.” The look on my face must have prompted her to add, “Yeah, they have to take the whole dashboard off to get to the wiring.”

I had expected to wait a couple of hours for the recall service to be done on my van. Double that? Good thing I brought something to do. And since it was early, maybe the coffee would be good.

Typically, I’d find a few pump thermoses in the beverage area. That’s fine, as long as the coffee is hot and fresh. A few hours from now it would be old and lukewarm. Once in a while, the dealership will install a Keurig coffee maker. Unfortunately, they’ll also buy the cheapest pods they can find, resulting in so-so brew.

But today I saw a coffee machine I’ve never seen before. It’s a Selectbrew coffee system, featuring Folgers coffee. Not a brand I reach for, but today I’ll give it a shot. I placed my cup, pushed the “dark roast bold” (of course) and within five seconds I had a strong, freshly brewed cup of coffee. It smelled and tasted wonderful. Later on, I tried the decaf variety, and it was just as tasty.

I know, I should probably be more concerned about the service and costs of car repair. But we’ve been coming to this dealership for decades and they’ve always done a great job at a reasonable price. I’ve had better coffee at coffee shops. But they didn’t have a clue about how to fix my car. Lol.

Posted in Life, waiting

Forgotten? Probably not.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sandra Seitamaa on Unsplash

We weren’t in a hurry. After an afternoon of crafting with a crafty friend, we decided to get chips, wings, and a burger at a nearby sports bar type restaurant. I was surprised by the crowd when we arrived. The parking lot wasn’t full. But the wait was short and we settled into a big booth.

Our server breezed by to get our drink order. “Chips and salsa, too, please.”

“Sure!” She quickly returned with our drinks, took our order, and disappeared around the corner. Disappeared is the key word here. From now on our waitress will be out of sight. (Sorry. It’s almost Christmas. I can’t help it.)

We chatted about the Christmas cards we had just crafted, upcoming family birthdays, this week’s trip to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas, next week’s trip out of town, big dogs and little dogs, and “She heard us order chips and salsa, right?” It had been about ten minutes since we ordered. Someone usually runs them right out.

As we sat, a few tables finished up, replacement families sat down, and no one was watching the televisions around the room. We talked about Christmas Eve and Day with the family, gifts ordered, gifts we were waiting for, gifts to return, and “I don’t even see our server.” When other servers brought plates to folks who arrived after us, we began to feel forgotten.

“How long have we been here?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“Maybe we should flag down another server.” While several hustled around the dining room, none passed by our booth.

As I scanned the room again, our server suddenly appeared from around the corner with our food. Well, most of our food. Wings? Check. Burger? Check. Chips and salsa? Nope. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay. Just be sure to take them off our check.”

Our server stopped by multiple times to make sure everything tasted good. It did. Our food really hit the spot. I didn’t say anything, but wondered how we got lost on a not-so-busy night. I’m sure I have no idea all that happens in the back, even when things slow down.

So I’ll just be thankful for a less frantic, more relaxed moment in my day, food on the table, and time together.

Posted in Grace, Moments of grace

An unexpected blessing: a no-wait week

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Patience may be a virtue, but I appreciate the gift of quick appointments.

  • I brought a book to read while waiting for my wife at her doctor’s office. They called her name and got her in and out in five minutes. I only got to read a couple of pages.
  • I had the first appointment after lunch at my retina doctor. After I gave my name, they called me back as soon as I sat down in the waiting room. Within minutes the staff dilated my eyes, took pictures of my retinas, and the doctor came in to see me. Everything looked good, I had no questions for him, and the receptionist looked surprised when I walked out to make my next appointment. Quick and easy.
  • I brought my computer to sit and write while I waited for an oil change and tire rotation. They finished with my car in less than twenty minutes. I didn’t even have a chance to finish a story.
  • I walked into the barbershop. A few other guys were waiting, but they were waiting for a specific barber. I sat down but heard a voice say, “I can help you.” No wait for me that day!
  • I had to drop off the car to get the windshield replaced. They said it would be a two to three hour job. Before we got back home, I got a text that they were done, in less than an hour. Sweet.
  • For the first time in years the dermatologist had to do a little cutting to remove some skin cancer. Once I was numbed up, he came in, chatted while he made a couple of snips, and was out the door in under two minutes. He got it all. Okay, I did have to wait a little for my turn to get closed up, but I got to go home a lot sooner than a whole waiting room full of people.

I’m on a roll. Most of the time, I expect to wait. Self-checkout lines at the grocery store, security at the airport, dentist’s office, latte with an extra shot, etc. If I prepare myself, I’m patient. No wait? I’m blessed!

Posted in Life

Is the fire ready?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Are we going to roast marshmallows?”

Absolutely. The weather was a little cooler, a perfect night to gather around a fire supper. In preparation, I crumbled up newspaper, covered it with small tree branches I had gathered up in the yard, and stood up a pyramid of firewood over the whole thing.

The sky was just beginning to darken as we finished up supper. I headed out to the fire pit and lit the paper. As the first flames flickered, a grandson with a marshmallow and a stick behind me asked, “Is the fire ready?”

For Christmas, we bought other grandchildren a rock tumbler. A great idea for aspiring rock hounds. Until my son read the instructions. Tumbling takes four weeks!

We certainly don’t like to wait, do we? Less than a second after the light turns green, the car behind me leans on the horn so I’ll get step on the grass. A fifteen minute wait for a restaurant table? No thanks, we’ll go somewhere else. Don’t you pick the shortest checkout line at the store?

Five minute oil change. One hour air conditioner repair. No wait emergency room. Instant potatoes. Now, that’s more like it.

Lol. It rarely works that way. An hour on hold to talk to a person at the bank. A minimum of three to four hours in the emergency room. A week for seeds to germinate in the garden. Seven to ten business days for the refund to show up in your bank account. Nine months for the baby to arrive. A lot longer for a doctor appointment.

Is there any benefit to waiting? Maybe. Pausing when the light changes to green avoids a collision with the guy running the red light. More time in wide comfortable airport seats before spending three hours in a cramped middle seat between two strangers. Coffee from a freshly brewed pot. Holding a newborn in your arms. Flames that light up and warm up a chilly night. The smell of freshly baked bread. A gooey marshmallow.

Posted in Lent devotions

Sit here while I pray

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Scenes from the passion” Lent devotion for Tuesday, March 2, 2021. Photo by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash

And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” (Mark 14:32)

Gethsemane is a quiet place among the olive trees on the Mount of Olives. For Jesus, it’s a place of prayer. For the disciples it’s a place to wait.

Have you ever asked someone to sit and wait for you while you prayed? I’ve never done that. Has anyone ever asked you to sit and wait while they prayed? I’ve never had that experience.

Continue reading “Sit here while I pray” →