Lessons from Lydia-Waiting Patiently

It's early Saturday morning. I've just returned from about a 20 minute walk with the dog, Lydia. The wind's blowing, it's a little chilly, but the sun's out and it should be a nice day. Lydia seemed a little restless this morning so I thought some excercise would do both of us good. When I went to the bucket where we keep her toys and supplies and lifted the lid, she knew I was getting her walking collar and leash and excitedly twirled around me like an acrobat. In order to use this chain-like collar, I had to get training from my daughter, AND I had to practice with it before I could efficiently put it around the dog's neck and clip it. I don't think the hubby still to this day knows how to do this.

When I first rescued Lyd, I walked her with her regular collar, but she pulled so hard on the leash it was like she was walking me. Rebekah brought this collar to me and said, "You might want to teach her to walk with this, it will go a lot better". I was a little taken aback. The collar looks like a torture device, with long metal prongs which go next to her body as you put it on her neck. It fits semi-snugly. The first two or three times we used it, as she pulled away from me, yelp! She felt the prongs on her neck and immediately came back to my side. I felt bad about it hurting her but it didn't take long for her to learn to not strain at the leash and to walk more or less, with me.

She loves going for walks and thus she doesn't look at it like a torture device-she becomes very happy when she hears the lid open and the chain jangle. However, teaching her to sit still long enough for me to put it on has been difficult. She's catching on to the fact that if she'll just be patient and wait, we'll get to go out a lot quicker than if she's joyfully dancing around me, and today when I was attaching it, managed to sit a whole 5 seconds before getting to her feet and trying to move toward the door. She hasn't caught on to the concept of delayed gratification yet.

Waiting. It's not something we ever like doing, especially when we are waiting in anticipation for something wonderful to happen. But I wonder if in our excitement to get going, to get something resolved, or to get things happening, I wonder if we jeopardize our outcomes when we don't hold still long enough for necessary life growth to happen first. The result is similar to what happens with Lydia and the collar. The process becomes more painful for her as she wiggles and jumps because the collar pricks her in the neck. Also, and more importantly, when she's moving around it takes me longer to put it on her correctly, and her reward of going for a walk is substantially delayed until she cooperates. I dare say, the waiting process is many times far more important for us than finally obtaining what we've been waiting for.

Like Lydia, we often don't see waiting as a positive experience. And, I'm not saying that you need to vegetate while life happens for you-we need to be proactive and doing all that we can do with the time and resources we have. What I am saying is that sometimes, we need to be still and just practice waiting. Wait quietly. Body, mouth, and attitude. Breathe deeply. Sit still. Hope and anticipate, but without straining. The process is important, sometimes more important than the final outcome, and in fact, the growth that happens during the process could BE the final outcome that the Master Designer has in mind for you.

Here's the process: "....we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. " (Romans 5:4, NIV).
Is Lydia "suffering" while she waits for me to put on the collar? She thinks so. Am I "suffering" as I wait for situations to be resolved and circumstances to change? In my narrow, can only see the moment in front of me viewpoint, yes.

The prophet Isaiah writes, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" (Isaiah 30:18, NIV). May you be blessed while waiting in the week to come.