I apologize that it has been several days since I posted a blog.  I am actually on vacation on the beautiful island of Kauaii. In this case, I would say that God’s timing of this vacation was perfect for my situation.  If you are reading this post, you may have also read that the publisher of my book suddenly has gone out of business.  This has left me in a lurch because my book was due to be released about a week ago.  Not such great timing, at least from my perspective. Now I need to rethink just how to get this book on the market.  It will happen, no doubt, but not within the time frame I expected.

I must say I have handled this situation quite nicely– with relative calm and composure.  This is not because I am naturally such a calm person– it is because God has trained me like a good father to be patient and to trust His timing.  I have been down this waiting road many times– especially with regards to my children.

I imagine you might be waiting for something right now.  Maybe you are waiting for your child to make a friend, or for her attitude to soften, or for his grades to improve.  Perhaps you are waiting for your child to learn the value of kindness, self-control or some other long-term good trait.  You might be waiting for the right teacher, therapist or medication to come along that could help your child.  Sometimes you may fear that the waiting will never end and you will be stuck in this state with your child forever.

First of all, let me assure you that the waiting will NOT last forever.  Something WILL change.  It might take longer than you think and it may not be the exact change you hope for, but nothing stays exactly the same forever.  One of my children went through a period of aggression that lasted for years.  After a few years of trying a variety of potential solutions, we still were stuck in the same phase.  I began to have recurrent scary thoughts that this child would probably end up in jail someday– not because she was an awful person–but because she was likely to push the wrong person in the wrong way someday and end up really hurting him or her.

Did this scenario occur? No.  After several years, this child does not have a problem with hitting or pushing any longer.  Several events changed this scenario. My family learned how to deal with the problem in a way that helped, our daughter matured, and some situations that angered her also changed.  She has learned what bothers her and has learned to avoid those situations that tend to trigger anger.  We waited about 10 years to see this change.  It was a long wait, but we don’t struggle with this problem anymore.

Other situations we faced changed much more quickly.  For example, when our daughter was small and despised baths, we learned to give them in the morning instead of the evening.  The change of timing was much easier for her.  It took us about 6 months to think to try this different approach to bathtime, but we waited for a solution and eventually found one.

Whatever it is that you are waiting for right now, be assured that God has his eyes on you and that He has in mind a perfect time for you to discover or to be the recipient of a solution to your problem.  In the meantime, I am betting He has a lesson to teach you about patience and trust.  The question is how much of a tizzy will you cause as you wait?  It is great to look for solutions, but there is no need to panic if you do not find these solutions in the timing you want.  God created time and He can make up for years of “lost” or “wasted” time.  Proverbs 16:8-10 tells us, “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” There may be a very good reason why we are being asked to wait right now.  I am so glad that the one who sees the big picture directs my steps. Lets try to make the most of the moments we live in right now, imperfect as they are, and to trust that God will lead us to the solutions we need in His good timing.