Keep going until it makes sense

So much of life proves that waiting is useful. 

A top restaurant will insist that good food takes times. 

A mother with child knows that once her course is run her joy will be full. 

A student pushes through the years of learning, motivated by the prize beyond and the value of waiting for it. 

A farmer reconciles himself to the idea that what seems like nothing is happening will yet bear fruit. 

Yet so much of our contemporary world wants it all and now, as Freddy Mercury insisted. It was the anthem of the age, sung in his powerful tenor voice for the world to nod in agreement, “hey why not?”

In its wake came the instant food chains, where convenience and speed took precedence over quality or health.  

There is always a price to our choices and instant gratification inevitably brings the hangover of debt. Like an addict on a high or a drinker on the binge, the account will reach us through the mail and we will have to pay for a pleasure since forgotten.

There is a fast lane in the Christian faith, one that brings its kicks and rewards through formulas that revolve around buildings, music, good sermons and other fringe benefits. It seems to offer a lot of ego reward for a few, but church dropout rates confirm that it is not doing much for those it was intended to serve – and if they go away, so will the benefits that keep leaders in the game.

There is another lane: a wild road that tumbles over hills and through valleys, offering limited respite from the elements or the struggles of life. It is less used, but even those who choose to get off the highway of life to enjoy a good hike in open country, confirm it is a good road.

At some stage, every believer will find their lives taking that elusive set of turns that leads them further and further from their comfort zones into the contradictions of a wilderness traipse. It will be so tempting to move things along, to recover and get back on top.

It will frustrate us that the ideal we always knew as God, does not rush in to make it all better, as long days of groaning turn into months, years, sometimes decades of confusion and plodding through the narrow straights of a life in transition.

Many will opt out, capitulate or turn to medicine. Some will take their lives, others will just retreat into their shells … but some will hold on to find that it is a worthwhile journey.

A friend shared a trip down a river with a party of friends, but they yearned for the overnight rest camp. It seemed to elude them until eventually they pulled off the river and spent a restless night on a rocky bank. In the morning as they rounded the next bend in the river, they found the camp.  

No matter how long your odyssey has been and how long God seems to have delayed His intervention, know that those who overcome in Christ will find the rewards are worthwhile.

(c) Peter Missing: bethelstone@gmail.com