No one likes the "waiting room". We have all been there before. Waiting for a trial to end, waiting for answers to prayer, waiting for someone to change, waiting for doors to open...
Waiting is never a fun experience because it entails so much uncertainty. We don't ever truly know how long we will be in the waiting room. But God never intends for us to be there forever.
So what are we supposed to do while in the "Waiting room"? Some people literally just wait and expect to be acted upon rather than be an agent in their lives. The whole point of the waiting room is for us to grow and learn. We can maintain an optimistic perspective and find ways to serve others. We can continue to be faithful to our covenants and God's commandments. Ask the Lord what He would have you do with this time that you wait.
If you are currently in the "waiting room" you can trust that the time God will have you leave the room is perfect. He won't have you stay in there any longer than is necessary for your growth. As you trust Him more and more, the frustrations with the wait time will decrease because you will have a deeper faith that God knows what is best and that this time in the "waiting room" will be for your good.
You may be saying- "But what I desire is a good thing! Why can't God just give it to me? I am doing everything I am supposed to." We have all asked this question before. But without the wait, we don't appreciate the blessing when it is granted. Without the wait, trials don't have the time to stretch and refine our souls. Without the wait, we don't have the opportunity to rely on God.
Though it doesn't seem like it, the "waiting room" can be a holy place. A place where we give our will to the Lord and become our best selves. I invite you the next time you are in the waiting room to deepen your trust in Good's timing, see it as an opportunity, and allow the experience to refine your soul. One day after this life, you will look back on the times you were in the "waiting room" and see how it molded and stretched you to become more like Jesus Christ. Patient, humble, faithful, and full of charity.
Challenge: If you are in the waiting room right now, say a prayer and ask the Lord how you can best used this time to become more like Jesus Christ. Write down thoughts and impressions that come to your heart.