As I sit down to write this, I am livin’ the life!  Normally when we hear someone say that, it’s telling someone that they’re enjoying themselves no matter what may come.  So, today – I am livin’ the life…if that life means waiting at a car dealership while routine (and spontaneous) maintenance is being completed!  The coffee may be lukewarm, the bananas aren’t ripe yet, and the person behind me may be speaking loud enough that I can hear them clearly with noise-cancelling headphones on – but livin’ the life!  So, I wait and wait – and I forcibly wait because….well, what else can I do?!

But as Christians, we should be used to it!  Waiting is more than an inconvenience – it is a familiar part of our faith journey.  The Scriptures are filled with people who waited: Abraham, Joseph, the Israelites – even the disciples!

Even David himself writes: Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14).  Truer words may never have been spoken.  I mean as if sitting in a dealership waiting room is hard enough, David reminds us that much of life is beyond our control. We cannot speed up the mechanic’s work anymore and rush the ordering of a part to make a repair happen instantly. In those moments, our Lord gives us opportunity to practice what He gives to us through His Holy Spirit: the fruit of patience.

Currently, we’re preparing ourselves for what seems like the longest season of the year – WINTER!  The trees becoming bare, the weather cooler, and grass withering.  We grow tired of seeing brown and barren plants and trees.  But, may we remember that faith often grows during seasons of waiting. We may prefer immediate answers, quick solutions, and instant results, but God frequently works on a different timetable. Waiting teaches us to trust that the Lord is at work even when we cannot see the progress being made.

Perhaps the next time you find yourself waiting for an oil change, tire rotation, or repair, you might view the experience differently. Instead of seeing wasted time, consider it an opportunity. Read a devotion. Pray for family and friends. Reflect on God’s faithfulness. Thank Him for the many ways He provides for your daily needs – even through skilled mechanics who help keep us safely on the road.

The dealership waiting room may never become my favorite place, but it can become a reminder that God is present in every moment, including the ordinary and inconvenient ones. As we wait, we remember that our hope is not in our schedules or our plans, but in the Lord who faithfully keeps His promises.

May God grant us patience in the small waits while livin’ the life and to give us confidence as we await the fulfillment of His greatest promise – the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles. (Isaiah 40:31)

Pastor Dan Dapelo

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon Township, OH

Dan Dapelo has served at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Napoleon Township, OH since 2016.  Though a Northern California native, he has lived over half his life in the Midwest – preferring the space and slower pace of life (not to mention Scotcheroos)!  
Graduating in 2006 from Trinity Lutheran College, he went to seminary at Concordia Theological Seminary – Fort Wayne, IN, and was ordained in 2010.  He is grateful to the Lord every day for the gift to preach, teach, and share the love and mercy given to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord!