The Lost Art of Waiting

I remember the day when we would write a letter longhand, fold it, address the envelope, lick the stamp and the edge of the envelope, put it in the mail and wait 10 to 14 days for a reply. Today we send a text message and if we don't hear back in 5 minutes we get impatient! We've forgotten how to wait.

If you consider that we have grown up watching TV shows where a problem arises and a half hour later everything is fine and they all live happily ever after- well, is it any wonder that we want instant fixes? We've come to expect things to happen fast.

The real treasures that are found in relationship with God require diligence. The disciplines that will bring about true wisdom and understanding require many, many hours of reading and pondering. There is no microwave version. It is all slow simmering.

I think our fast moving culture, our busy lives and our expectations of a quick return for every effort work against us mining the deep, rich treasures in God's word. We don't know how to wait or rest and we don't want to sit still (or we are so highly caffeinated that we can't). We've forgotten how to think deeply and we have also lost the art of deep conversation.

We are going faster but we are just skimming the surface of life.