Waiting….

In the season of Advent we are waiting and preparing for Jesus’ birth. It is hard to wait. Why does God ask us to wait?

My dear friend is at the bedside of her father who is dying. He lived a faithful life as a Presbyterian pastor. He fought against Apartheid and had to flee South Africa with his family with just the clothes on their backs.  He is a good man and has lived a good life. For quite some time now, he has not known any of his family. His wife has faithfully stood by his side even though he doesn’t remember anything about her. Sunday night he had a heart attack and the family has gathered waiting with him for his death. Why does God let the family sit and wait for the inevitable? What lessons are there to take away from this waiting?

I did not get the chance to sit with my father when he died. He had a massive heart attack and died within hours. I was 12 years old. I have spent a life time trying to heal from my father’s death. However, when my grandmother was dying, the family had the chance to sit and wait with her for her death. We got to tell her how much we loved her and what her life had meant to us. Our family grew a stronger bond with each other. In the waiting, God allowed us to prepare for losing someone so important to our family. He gave us hope and a support system of family members gathered around each other. It still wasn’t easy but in the waiting God gave us so much.

In the waiting, God is preparing us. He is making us stronger. He is surrounding us with the people and circumstances that we need to help us. Pull up the rocking chair and welcome the waiting like a good friend.