Waiting, Waiting, & More Waiting....

Waiting....

You do it just about every day—you wait in some type of line. Whether it’s the checkout line at the grocery store, the red light down the street, the post office, or the waiting room at the dentist—you endure the act of waiting. In fact, I found that a few sources report that we will spend an average of three years just on waiting in some type of line.

My question for you now is, “What do you do when you’re waiting in line?” Have you ever found yourself striking up a conversation with your fellow “line waiters,” or, has someone attempted to engage you in conversation? Often, the conversation heads in a negative direction.

Just last week, I was waiting in a long line at the Post Office. Upon entering, I conducted a quick calculation as to how long that I thought the wait would be…“Hhmm, Let’s see, there are five postal workers behind the counter, and I’m about the thirteenth person in line. This shouldn’t take too long.” So, I began the wait.

Within thirty seconds, I realized that the piercing sound, which my ears were tuning into, was a screaming child, around the age of three. Obviously, this line was not as quick as I had originally calculated.

It didn’t take long before the mumblings began. The customers around me started to engage in conversation, but, it wasn’t at all pleasant. No mention as to the invigorating weather outside or anything positive. No, the conversation was about the screaming child and his mother.

“Oh, yeah, Good! That’s just what you need, Lady--another kid!” I didn’t understand that comment at first, until I saw this very tired mother chasing after the toddler, who was now grabbing the greeting cards from the display. This mom turned around, and I saw the cute little “beach ball” attached to her belly. With the buzzing conversation around me, I had a decision to make—engage in the negative conversation, or keep my mouth shut. I chose to keep my mouth shut.

I remember those days when I had small children, and I had to cart them from their car seats to waiting lines. It’s an exhausting experience. Did this mother really want her child to scream and annoy the waiting customers? No, she was merely trying to pick up her registered letter from the Postal Office.

What do you do when you’re waiting in line? Are you a contributor to negativity or a provider of encouragement?

1 Samuel 2:3 says, “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.”