The Waiting Place

When we left Chile, we decided to sell or give away everything that we couldn't fit into suitcases. And over time, we have been purchasing those things, new or used, as we need them. My wife bought me something the other day because it was on sale. She bought me a cookie jar. Why would she buy me a cookie jar? Doesn't she know that I'm trying to lose weight? Wouldn't she buy a cookie jar for the family? Well, here's the thing, until just now, we never even owned a cookie jar in all 19 years of our marriage. Quite frankly, in our house, cookies don't last long enough to have to be stored overnight in any type of container. But this jar has an image of Cat in the Hat on it. I'm a sucker for Dr. Suess stuff and especially Cat in the Hat stuff. I don't think I'll put cookies in it, but until I figure out what to put in it, it has a place on my desk, staring at me as I write, waiting to be used.

Dr. Suess, in one of his best-known books, Oh the Places you'll Go, talks of "The Waiting Place". In a book that is overall upbeat and positive in tone, full of bright colors, there are a few pages that are darker and more serious, giving attention to the realities of discouragement, loneliness, and the challenges that everyone will face throughout life. One pair of pages like this tells us of The Waiting Place. He describes this place as a place that you do not want to be for very long, it is boring, 'not for you' and makes it clear that you should escape it whenever you get the chance. But that is normal- to see waiting as a waste of time. The Waiting Place is the exact place where we have been since March. It is an uncomfortable place at first, but we have found that it is not a waste at all, it is a very important place.

I don't mean to preach to you from a secular sage, and thankfully, Dr. Seuss hasn't been my only reading material over the past 3 months. The book of Lamentations is quite possibly the farthest apart from Dr. Seuss as you can get in the world of literature. It details the staggering losses suffered by Israel, the utter destruction of a special place, and the devastation of a special people. As the ashes are still burning, the prophet Jeremiah tells us what he is seeing, what he is thinking, and what he is feeling. In a new way, the Holy Spirit has been preaching to my heart and teaching me as we have been lamenting the loss of a dream.

Lamentations 3:25-28 (ESV)

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;

Jeremiah uses some very different language to speak of this waiting place. As if the waiting place is not a bad or negative place, it is not a place to escape, but rather a place to stay for a while. It is a laboratory where God continues, in a very concentrated way, his GOOD work in our lives. He chooses to put us in the waiting place because He desires to do something there that cannot be done amid the busyness of the regular pace of life. Jeremiah labels this as a good place from a good God for a good purpose. We have been encouraged not to miss the opportunity and advantage of this special time and place.

Throughout this book (and in 1/3 of the Psalms) we have seen how lament is a tool in our arsenal to help us process our losses, bring our unexplainable circumstances to God and recenter ourselves on the Truths that we are certain of. Lament is designed to lead us through the maze of questions and doubts of life to a destination of trust. Author and Pastor, Mark Vroegop in his book, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, teaches that trust is "active patience" because as we continue to wait on the Lord (for an answer, or direction, for deliverance, healing, etc), we are displaying our trust in the Lord. We submit our desire for control to the One who is (and was) in control.

For most, the waiting place is very uncomfortable, because it is unnatural and uncommon in our fast-paced world. For the Christian, the waiting place is an important place, because that is where God wants to meet us, distraction-free, to do a special work of rebuilding and refining so we are prepared for his use in the future.

I don't wish any type of loss on anyone. But I do hope that everyone gets the opportunity to experience God in a waiting place at some point in their life, preferably early in life.

It is not a waste to wait.

So, much good has already come of this season of life for us and I trust there is more good to come. I trust, that He has good things ahead for our family and we are eager to follow his direction. Please pray with us as we are anticipating a decision in June as to where we will go. There are a number of options on the table, but we are praying and seeking counsel for God's best for our family. We will keep you all updated as that decision is made. And I'm sure you'll all want to know what I end up doing with my cookie jar.

I appreciate this prayer from author Peter Scazzero,

Father,

Sometimes I act as though I am in charge of running the world. Forgive me. Teach me to be patient and to remain hidden when appropriate. May I not rush your slow, sacred work of forming Christ in me- even when I don't understand what you are doing.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.