Generally speaking, I hate to wait. I always have an eye out for the shortest line at the store and religiously pursue short-cuts around traffic.

I wish I could say my aversion to waiting is because I hate to waste time. But the truth is I kind of like wasting time doing things that don’t really matter. I think it is more accurate to say that I hate to wait because I am selfish and want what I want right now before YOU or anyone else gets it.

I know it sounds bad. But as I’m getting older, I think I’m getting better at waiting. But only because it is dawning on me that most of life is spent waiting. Plus, I’ve discovered that most of my “hurry” only leads to hurry-up-and-WAIT some more. Not just in store lines and traffic, but for friendships to grow, opportunities to develop, gnarly situations to change, dreams to become realities, and for the overarching will of God to come to pass.

The Hebrew writer claimed that we inherit God’s promises for our lives through “faith and patience” (Heb. 6:12) The bottom line is, we don’t live well unless we learn to wait well and trust God.

It seems to me that the most difficult thing about Christianity is the whole “wait and trust” piece—but we are called to wait upon and trust Jesus Christ—not just for salvation, but also for our daily lives. That means we have to be comfortable with leaving control of things that directly impact our lives in the hands of someone else. If you have never had a good trust experience—where someone proved trustworthy, you will have a hard time with this. For many, only disappointment has followed trust—we even disappoint ourselves.

It is terrifying to think that we don’t have the stuff to make it on our own. Instead of waiting on another, we would rather take control and manage our own lives. Waiting on God admits we don’t have what it takes to make it on our own and that we need help outside of ourselves. There is something deeply disturbing about this position. It’s like falling backward—instinctively we scramble for control. Something in us fights to prove we can control our lives.

But the psalmist claims our efforts for control are in vain: “Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain”(Ps. 39:6). We may have our moments of resolve and confidence, but the reality is, we are fallen. We are bankrupt. We need help outside of ourselves. And we need to wait on God for help to come. And, as I said, I hate to wait.

The good news is when we dare to wait…he comes. And he comes in a way that is surprising and delightful. The more I learn to “wait,” the less I mind the pain of it. What started out as a discipline ends up becoming a delight.

I’m still not really good at this, but I’m trying to hurry-up and wait better.