If you never had to wait on anything in your life, you better thank God. No seriously! You better thank Him for the fact that He “fast-tracked” you to whatever it is you are abundantly enjoying at this minute. Be it a great job that “fell into your lap”, the car you always wanted that’s parked in the driveway of the house in the great neighbourhood you want to live in, or the spouse you quickly “lucked up on” when you weren’t even looking or the ability to have children with no issues.

You.Betta.Thank.God! You’ve been spared!

Time and time again, I wonder if people are truly grateful that they did not have to go through an excruciating waiting period to obtain the thing(s) they desire. I wonder if people are truly grateful for the talents they have that position them into greatness. I wonder if people truly thank and praise God for all He allows them to have without waiting. Because, let me tell you, the “weight” of “the wait” (not to be confused with the book) is not for the faint at heart.

It really isn’t.

Some of us had to wait for one job offer when others were getting multiple. Some of us are still single attending the weddings of friends while watching social circles dwindle. Some of us are trying to own house #1 while others are on #3. Some of us have a business idea that isn’t taking off as fast as we like, but someone else with half an idea and less effort went viral practically overnight.

Like I said the “weight” of “the wait” is not for the faint at heart.

Those of us in the “the wait” life, didn’t choose this for ourselves, it choose us. If we had a choice, we would be right where we want to be, with who we want to be with, living where we want to live with the children we desire to have while having the things we want. We did not choose to be delayed or sidelined. We did not choose to forgo our desires for a wait filled with years of tearful prayers in order to cope with the weight of it all. We don’t know why God allows some folks to go into their promised land quickly and while others have to hang back and watch. But here is some understanding: Those chosen to “wait on the Lord” have a remarkable resilience that is unfathomable to most people and essential to the existence of today’s society.

In laymen’s terms: you are needed in the population to provide a stillness from your steadiness which would’ve never been birthed in you if you got everything you wanted the way you wanted it (James 1:4-8). Everybody can not be on the same path at the same time (Galatians 6:9).

Some of the most powerful people I know in the faith, have dwelled in Midian (the dessert wilderness Mosses stayed in for 40 years before leaving to fulfil the exodus prophecy) and lived to tell about it. Their stories about carrying the mantle of “the wait” are some of the most inspiring things one could ever hear. I have heard stories of waiting for years to have a first child to losing everything then having to slowly rebuild. I’ve heard stories of waiting until early to mid 40’s to marry their first love, and some waiting even longer to have a life worth living. One thing I’ve noticed about dwelling in the land of “wait” is that a sense of calm and peace is developed within. The calm and peace that sustains one through crisis and disappointment. The calm and peace that creates wisdom (’cause after all, there will be a lot of scripture reading and praying during the wait). The calm and peace that people gravitate towards when the fast track gets………too fast.

So, to those who have been selected to “wait” for it seems everything they desire in life, you have been called to wear this special mantle. Wear it proudly! There is a reason behind it. As much as it pains me to say the very thing that has been said over and over and over again, I’m gonna say it with a different spin: waiting helps us to get closer to God through prayer, scripture reading and a face streaked with tears because “The Wait” is probably hitting an area God wants to work on (1 Peter 5:10).

To those waiting on the Lord for something, let us be brave. Let us be brave in our personal Midian. Let us be brave when others are getting the things we are patiently waiting for. Let us be brave when God goes silent on an unmet desire while it seems He is blessing others instantaneously. Why? Because someone is pulling strength from your every move. Somebody will need to hear your testimony one day. Someone will need a glass of water from the well that waiting has planted within you.