Five Minute Friday scribblings, Life

Wait: Who’s In Control?

Jeanne Takenaka

Casting for fish copy

By +Jeanne Takenaka @JeanneTakenaka

My Five Minute Friday prompt this week is—WAIT. This largely unedited “rough draft” form of writing stretches this perfectionist, in the best of ways. I write for five minutes on a given topic. If you’re interested in learning more about 5-Minute Fridays, check out our hostess, Kate Motaung’s site. Or, click on the link at the bottom of this post. As you read my simpler Friday posts, I hope you’ll join in the conversation!

WAIT

I’d be lying if I said I was good at waiting.

Truth is, I hate waiting. When I drive the kids to school, I take the initiative. Take the free lane to get there oh . . . a few seconds faster.

Waiting for doctor’s diagnosis? Lab results? I hate it.

Waiting for my kids to get their things done so I can start homework with them? It tests me.

And that’s the thing I’m realizing. I hate waiting because I like being in control.

And when I’m waiting on someone else, I’m not in control.

Breathe deep here, Jeanne. Take it easy.

Fishin poles sail boat copy

Waiting is such a beautiful discipline. When we wait on the Lord . . .

When we wait on others, and we do so with patience?

With a heart that is yielded to Jesus? That’s when character grows and deepens.

That’s when God can shine through us. Through our situations.

Waiting on others is never easy.

Sometimes, I make myself drive behind the slow car, I step into the slow lane at Target so I can practice the discipline of waiting.

Because the truth is, when I can wait with patience—with anticipation—at the unexpected things God might do in the waiting? That’s when it can become exciting.

Waiting with anticipation leads to trusting God more. It leads to relying on myself less.

And it leads to letting go of control I think I have and placing it in the hands of the One who really holds the reins of my life.

The One who’s way more trustworthy than I am. He knows the plans he has for me. And they are good plans. They  may not look good in the waiting times, but because He is faithful, they are good.

Caught first fish copy

So, I’ll work at becoming good at waiting. Which now means, God will probably give me more practice at this beautiful discipline. (wink)

I’m yours, Lord. Waiting as you craft Your plan for my life.

What about you? How do you wait with anticipation? When has waiting “paid off” for you?

Visit Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Friday post—Wait

Published by Jeanne Takenaka

Award winning aspiring novelist, Jeanne Takenaka, writes contemporary inspirational fiction that tackles real life issues with a heart to draw women closer to God and those around them. She lives near the mountains in Colorado with her amazing husband and two exuberant boy-men. She loves being God’s girl—always learning about His grace, hanging out with friends and enjoying a great cup of coffee. When she’s not writing you can find her with a camera in her hand, looking for #alittlebitofpretty in her days.

20 thoughts on “Wait: Who’s In Control?”

  1. Nicely written! When I saw the word prompt I was dreading it….I feel like most of my adult life I have been waiting for something!! haha Maybe cause I am not good at it that is why I must keep doing it 🙂 And I would say that I am ALWAYS waiting in anticipation. I am so glad that the Lord let’s us anticipate His moving….
    Blessings and have a great weekend…visiting from FMF
    Cindy

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    1. I’m with you, Cindy. I’ve felt like I’ve been waiting for something most of my adult life too. 🙂 But, waiting with anticipation rather in dread, or with eyes stuck on me, makes the waiting times a little easier. And, it keeps my heart more at peace too. 🙂 I hope your weekend is also a great one!

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  2. Hi Jeanne,

    I love this: Waiting with anticipation leads to trusting God more. It leads to relying on myself less.
    How true! And if we are trusting God more, we won’t be fretting and fidgeting as much during the wait. It’s a full-circle kinda thing, eh?

    So glad to have “visited” you!
    Blessings,
    Selena (via FMF)

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    1. Selena, yes, you described the full cycle perfectly! Thanks for closing the loop. 🙂 Trusting God more is always a good thing. And honestly? Sometimes, I still fidget, but I’m getting a little better about that. 🙂

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  3. Ha! I sometimes drive behind the slow car to practice patience, too! But, I equally get frustrated with the granny drivers, so I guess it’s all a work in progress… 😉 Love your honesty and encouragement.

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    1. Ha, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who makes myself practice waiting. 🙂 Yes, I passed a granny driver, recently . . . as soon as it was safe of course. 🙂

      Have a great weekend, Annie!

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  4. Driving is always a great test of patience! The car that waits forever to enter traffic, the one who runs out of blinker fluid right in front of you, suddenly turns, two lane highway ad both lanes going 5 /mph under speed limit. But of course I handle it all with perfect patience :)) Right!! Yes, I too practice driving behind the slowpoke for as long as I can. have a patient blessed day!!

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    1. Well, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who deals with this impatience trait, Mom. 🙂 And, may we both encourage each other to drive, and live with patience as we wait. 🙂

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  5. You made me stop and think, Jeanne…prepping for patience, being proactive and actually practicing for it. I like it! God gives me plenty of opportunity to practice, but you’ve put a new spin on that. Loved the words. Blessings!!

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    1. Tiffany, it’s always nice to know I made someone stop and think. 🙂 I don’t pray for patience anymore. I already know God will give me opportunities to practice it. And, the waiting? I know if I’m not in a time of waiting right now, I will be sooner or later. So, I might as well be as ready as I can for it. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!

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  6. Nice!

    Personally, i take waiting in another direction…waiting without anticipation. I try to stay in the moment, and let things develop (this doesn’t obviate the need to plan, obviously).

    The gift of not-anticipating is that I don’t find that time either crawls, or that it flies by. It stays pretty much on the schedule it’s supposed to keep.

    It may sound like very much a Zen thing, and it should, because I’m very much a Zen guy; I’m actually planning a book of Christian interpretations of some notable koans.

    It may be enough to get a bloke excommunicated! But I think Jesus will like it.

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    1. You know I love the practice of living fully in the moment. 🙂 And I loved what you said about how the wait stays pretty much on the schedule it’s supposed to keep. Great thought there. And I would be very interested in reading a book with that focus. Forgive my ignorance, but what is a koan? Is it similar to a prayer?

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      1. A koan is something like a spiritual riddle…What is the sound of one hand clapping?..or, If a tree falls in the forest with no one to hear, does it make a noise?

        There are compendiums of koans (like “The Blue Cliff Record”) that go back centuries. So there’s tons of material from which to choose!

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  7. We’ve had server issues at work, and every click brings a delayed response. It’s corporate aggravation, testing the patience of us all. At the end of the day, I’m guessing, it totals less than minutes of wait time, accumulated second by second. Teaching me patience click by click.I think my Alpha and Omega is benevolently amused.

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    1. Shirlee, I can empathize with you on server issues. We depend so much on our technology anymore, that when anything is not functioning as it should and we actually have to wait? Oh, my is that ever a hardship! (And a first world problem 😉 ) I’m convicted by your words, because my computer has been slow and I hate waiting for it to be ready for me to use. You and I are both learning patience by the click. 🙂 Thank goodness the Lord is more patient with us, huh?

      Thank you so much for stopping by!

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  8. Lovely, and so very true. We wait, because God is good. We are impatient, but God’s timing is perfect. God never waits, because God knows. We see through a glass darkly.

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    1. You’re right, Cynthia. God’s timing is always, always perfect. And I love that you mentioned that God never waits. He knows the timing of His plans. I’m glad you stopped by!

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  9. Ouch! That’s me. Hating to wait on others because I’m not in control. But, God continues to teach me. I’m glad I stopped by, because I really hate waiting on other people–but now that you’ve named my problem (ok, sin), I can ask forgiveness and remember next time I get impatient that I’m not God and I don’t need to be in control!

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    1. Anita, God continues to teach me too. I’m so glad He’s patient. And I’ll begin that practice with you of remembering I’m not God and I don’t need to be in control. Great words there. 🙂

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