It's A Waiting Game

I've just lived through one of the most frustrating weeks of my life. It felt like I spent the entire seven days doing just one thing - waiting.
I hate waiting. I waited for phone calls that never came, for mail that didn't arrive, and for a repairman who never showed. I waited in the doctor's office and the post office and the coffee shop. I waited in a checkout line so long I finally had to give up and go back to work without my0 lunch.
On the job, it seemed every assignment I tackled could not be completed without waiting for someone else to do his part first, which, of course, he (or she) never did. I sent polite e-mail reminders, and waited some more. I made phone calls and was put on hold. Several times I waited till the phone grew permanently attached to my ear, only to be told he'd call me back. But he didn't.
Waiting has to be one of the most hated, and most universal, activities known to human kind. It has been the bane of our existence since time began - as perennial as weeds in your garden and just about as welcome.
We know that almost anything worth doing, and anything worth having, requires some waiting. Waiting for something, yearning, praying, and waiting some more can be an important part of the process. It prepares us to truly appreciate the fulfillment when it comes. But why is it often so very long?
God told Abraham he would have a son. He didn't mention it would be close to 20 years before that son made his appearance. God told the children of Israel to go to Egypt to wait out the famine. He didn't mention they (or rather their descendents) would be there 400 years.
In fact, the length of time you have to wait for something is so universally recognized as significant that it often becomes a measure of value. Diamonds are prized as much for the fact that they take millions of years to develop, as for their brilliance and beauty. Men love to commiserate about how long they have to wait for their wives or girlfriends to get ready to go out. But, there's not a man alive who doesn't appreciate the result when he steps out with that beauty on his arm and becomes the envy of every other guy in the place.
As sure as waiting is inevitable, it's also worth it. Ask the music fan who waited in line for hours to purchase concert tickets, whether the show was good. Ask the woman who was mistreated and victimized by a man who said he loved her, whether justice and freedom, though a long time coming, will be sweet indeed. Ask the woman who waited a lifetime for "Mr. Right" to come along, if finally saying "I do" will bring a special joy no 20-something bride could ever know.
Ask this woman who waited 11 years for the birth of her first child, and I'll tell you that finally becoming a mother was worth every moment of those eleven years. It was a dream come true that could never be surpassed . . . until now. You see, that baby I waited so long for . . . that baby they laid in my arms 28 years ago . . . just called to tell me I'm going to be a grandmother six months from now.
Six months! How can I possibly wait that long?