Wait In Line

Next time you find yourself in a line try something...

Wait.

You may be thinking, "Isn't that kind of obvious?"

I don't think so. Just take a look at how many people fill their time waiting in line on their mobile devices. People playing Angry Birds, checking email while listening to Green Day (that would be me), or Tweeting about how lines at the grocery store make them crazy.

You can fill your time in line with so much mindless consumption that before you know it it's your turn at the check out, and you can think to yourself, "man, time flew by".

"Waiting", in these circumstances, is really nothing more than mindless interaction with the illusion that we are actually accomplishing something so that we don't feel like our time was wasted.

While we may be completing some minor tasks, the constant influx of data keeps our mind bouncing from one thing to the next without ever having to stop, pause, reflect, and assess. Moments in our day where we are forced to wait can actually become sacred spaces for us to disconnect from life's hurried pace and take a bird's-eye-view of our day or even our life.

In our true waiting we can be free to observe the people and situations around us, as well as observe where our day has been and where our day is going. Waiting can help us connect to life's bigger picture. Waiting, emptying, pausing are often the canvas for new thoughts, ideas, and discoveries.

So whether you are at the grocery store, doctor's office, or in the parking lot of your kid's school, try using your time in line to simply wait.

Waiting (Mobility pt. 4)

We have a difficult time waiting. Whether it is waiting in line at the grocery store as the person ahead of us stumbles through the “self-check-out” in a clumsy manner or awaiting test results from the doctor; waiting is a difficult process.

Waiting is the antithesis to mobility. It renders us passive, stationary, and still when we would rather “get on with it”. We long for our moments of waiting to be short and quick so that life can be lived. Waiting is irritating and a waste of time.

Waiting is viewed as the space between where we were and where we want to be; waiting leaves us feeling powerless and helpless.

Henri Nouwen writes on those who wait in Scripture: “…there is none of this passivity in Scripture. Those who are waiting are waiting actively. They know that what they are waiting for is growing from the ground on which they are standing. Right here is a secret for us about waiting. If we wait in the conviction that a seed has been planted and that something has already begun, it changes the way we wait. Active waiting implies being fully present to the moment with the conviction that something is happening where we are and that we want to be present to it. A waiting person is someone who is present to the moment, believing that this moment is the moment.” – Finding My Way Home

May you see that your moment of waiting (no matter how long) is the moment and may you find the peace and hope of God fully present in the midst of your waiting.