Waiting For You

Our family has a home in Florida with a guest cottage behind it. Our son and his family live in the house. My husband and I use the cottage when we are in town, and we get daily visits from our grandchildren—and also our grand-dog, Gus. He comes over every morning. My husband lets him in, and that small black ball of fur hops upon the bed with me for snuggles.

Gus is a sweet dog. He’s good with the kids, doesn’t disturb anything (most of the time), and he’s a vocal guard dog whenever someone comes near the house. He’s a member of the family, and he loves hanging out with everyone.

On one of our visits, some friends were in the cottage, so we stayed in the house. After we left, my daughter-in-law sent me a picture of Gus standing at the front door, waiting for us to come back. She said he sat there for hours. I loved that.

On our next trip, we stayed in the cottage. Gus again made regular visits to see us. And then after we returned home, my daughter-in-law sent a picture that totally melted my heart. Gus was standing patiently on the porch of the cottage, waiting for us to come back.

Did you catch that? Gus was waiting patiently. That’s a lesson most of us could learn. I’ll admit I’ve often been guilty of praying about something and then getting impatient when the answer didn’t arrive as fast as I thought it should.

I’ve learned a valuable lesson the past few years. Just because an answer doesn’t arrive on my timetable, it doesn’t mean that God isn’t busy on my behalf. In fact, if the answer arrived when I expected it, important pieces of God’s plan wouldn’t have been in place. His idea was bigger than mine, and the waiting was necessary to accomplish it.

I don’t want to rush God. Instead, I want to be like little Gus, waiting patiently.

Father, my instinct is to want answers immediately when I pray about something. I’ll be honest, I don’t like waiting. As I wait, help me to learn the lessons you want me to learn. Remind me that you’re often busily at work, even when I can’t see anything happening. I want to fulfill the desires of your heart for me. Help me to be faithful in the waiting. Encourage my heart and help me not to rush you and your plans. May I encourage others who are also waiting for the answers by sharing stories of how you’ve always been faithful to me.

Paws to think:

Why is it sometimes so hard to wait on God?

Did you know:

The “wait” command tells your dogs to stay put and not move forward until you release them.