By

Sue Karpovich

Text of Reflection:  
December 22, 2007

Waiting…in line, in traffic, outside of practice or school for our kids, for test results or to talk to the doctor.  It’s part of our daily lives but how do we handle it?  Are you a “productive waiter” or an “impatient waiter”?  I believe that depending on the day I can be either.  I like to take waiting opportunities to catch up on reading, phone a friend, or just to spend the time in prayer on my “productive” waits.  There are those times, though, when my schedule seems to dictate that “impatient” waiting is the theme of the day so we can just move on to the next item on the agenda.  Hannah waited for so long, faithfully believing God would grant her a child.  She was a faithful waiter and my goal is to try and become more like her.  I spent yesterday waiting alone in a hospital waiting room as my son was undergoing surgery for a sports injury (all those practice waits—remember?) and found myself much calmer and more productive than I ever imagined.  After all, I wasn’t really alone, was I?  God was right there with me the whole time, keeping me calm and helping me to be a “productive waiter”.  I am grateful to God not only for my son’s safe surgery but for his help and company in my time of waiting, just as Hannah was grateful for the gift of Samuel. 

It makes me feel so small when I think about all the other people out there trying to be heard by God.  But I also feel so important to him, despite my smallness, that he heard and answered my prayers.  I am honored to be blessed by God and to have him know my needs.  In exchange, much like Hannah took Samuel to the temple and Mary gave birth to Jesus, I listen carefully for God’s call to me so that I might honor him, too.  So often we surround ourselves with important people, fill our pockets with money, our time with activities, and our lives with “things”, but we are still waiting to feel fulfilled.  Those needs can only be filled by a relationship with the Lord, who knows what we really need.