With Easter and Lent just ending, I have thought a lot about waiting. We wait for countless things each day. We wait for our coffee to brew first thing in the morning. We wait for traffic lights to change. We wait in line at the grocery store. We wait for telephone calls from friends and loved ones about good and sometimes difficult news. We wait at the airport, train and bus stations to take us to our destinations. We wait for that job, promotion or raise which sometimes never comes. As parents, we wait for our children to walk, talk, grow, graduate and become adults. Our children eventually wait on us when we are incapable of moving as fast as we used to. We wait at appointments and sometimes we wait for answers to situations we don’t understand. We wait for holidays and vacations to start so we can relax. We wait for the night to end and to see the sunrise in the morning. We wait for our prayers to be answered. Waiting is a huge part of our daily life.

As a cancer patient, waiting can be the hardest part of the journey. We wait for lab and scan results, and treatments. We wait for biopsies and surgeries. We wait for life to be normal again even if it is a “new normal”. We wait for a cure.

As I think on the resurrection of Jesus. I consider how Mary, Jesus’ mother, had to wait for God’s plan to come to fruition. She saw her Son die and endure a torturous death on a cross. Mary knew this was the purpose of His birth and life. Yet she did not know when she would see Him again. The disciplines also waited in fear after Christ was put to death on the cross. They ran and hid because they thought they would be killed since they were seen with Jesus before His death.

Jesus knew all about waiting. He would sacrifice His life for us one day on the cross. He waited 40 years with this hanging over His head. Even with the constant reminder of His purpose on earth, He was still kind and patient. He was selfless, forgiving and loving to everyone He encountered. Jesus would rise again on the third day and all the waiting would be over. This is our hope. Revelation 21:4 says “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Waiting teaches me to trust God with my life and future, and to be patient with myself and others. God uses us in the waiting to be the light for Him while we are here on earth. Each moment of waiting is a part of His plan.