Waiting Patiently

Waiting…it’s something we all do. I find that I am constantly telling my girls to wait and to be patient. They just don’t seem to be grasping the concept yet, because usually they whine or fight each other while I fixing them lunch or when we are driving in the car. It’s very frustrating. I just don't know how many times we are going to have to go over what waiting patiently is. When I ask them to please be patient and wait, this is what I would like:

-to sit/stand there calmly and quietly, expecting and knowing that I am on my way to get the thing that they need.

This is what usually happens:

-They keep asking me about it, can’t they see I am on the way to getting the thing they asked for?!

-They fight each other because they can’t have what they want right this very second

-They complain and yell that it’s not fast enough

This happens multiple times a day and I wish they would get with the program already! In my frustration, I felt God tell me, “Have you even learned to be patient in waiting?” OH crap. How I react in waiting for God’s timing is similar to how my kids act. First, I ask and wait for a second then I keep asking God about it. When the answer doesn't come as fast as I would like it, I start complaining about it and whining to my friends. Then I start fighting with my sweet husband because I’m unhappy that I’m not getting what I want, right when I want it. How many times have I acted this way? I am ashamed to admit that it’s been too much. I wonder if God feels the same way about my impatience as I feel about my girls’ lack of patience. Does he get frustrated? It makes me think of the nation of Israel being rescued and on their way to the promised land. They complained and whined and God had to deal with their disobedience. Because of their whining, their journey took them 40 years instead of only 11 days! (I remember hearing this fact from Joyce Meyer.) 

This makes me think of when I am getting something the girls need, like a snack, and then they are whining or fighting. I have to stop getting their snack and address their behavior. It would have taken less time to just get the snack, but stopping to correct them took away time from getting their request. It blows my mind how many parallels there are between parenting and the Israelites in the desert. It really makes me appreciate God and what He does for me. Maybe I am having a delayed response to prayer because of my attitude and God in his wisdom is lovingly correcting me. I correct my kids’ behavior because I don't want them to be brats. Maybe God is helping me not become a brat too? How do you wait patiently? How do you teach your kids to do it too?