In The Waiting
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have it’s perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
As a teenager, I could make no-bake cookies like nobody’s business. But then somewhere along the line, no matter what I tried, they wouldn’t turn out. Instead of setting up as a good cookie should, they were runny and had to be eaten with a spoon. Not that I’m complaining, because eating cookies with a spoon isn’t beneath me.
Anyone who heard about my cookie mishaps would have tips for me on how to solve the problem. Some said I needed to boil the mixture for a minute and a half instead of just one minute. Some said I was using the wrong kind of butter. Some said I should add the oats to the mixture and then the peanut butter, instead of adding the peanut butter first. And some even said it must be humid on the days that I make them and that’s what is causing them to not setup.
After trying various things, I finally figured out that I was bringing them to a boil too quickly. Realizing that I needed to turn the temperature down and bring the mixture to a slow boil, the cookies were now edible again WITHOUT a spoon. All along I had been making sure to bring the mixture to a boil. But forcing it to boil too quick was a great lesson in not rushing things. I had to give the mixture time, otherwise, the cookies would not be ready.
As Christians, we are taught that everything happens in God’s timing……His perfect timing. Not too early, not too late. But do you know how hard it is to wait for something that you really want? Just like with the cookies, I want to rush things and have them happen now.
And just like with the cookies, I get advice from others on what I’m doing wrong. I’m not going to the right places to meet men. I’m not on the right dating sites. I don’t look like they think I should look. But none of that matters if the timing isn’t right. For reasons that I will never understand, something isn’t ready yet. Whether it’s me, it’s him, or it’s both of us. And so I patiently wait….still!
And when I do finally meet him, I’ll make him some cookies!