Sometimes you have to ‘wait on God’ to get what you want

Ever heard the phrase, “waiting on God”?

It means to wait for God to work out his plan for your life -- instead of trying to help him do his job.

It’s tough and it’s one of the hardest lessons I’ve ever had to learn.

My “studies on waiting” hit an interesting chapter around the year 1980 B.C. -- that’s Before Chuck (my husband) -- when I was a student at Midland Lutheran College. Back then, I worked in the cafeteria. Part of my job was to doublecheck student numbers as kids came through the lunch line.

One day, a guy caught my attention. He had curly hair and big blue eyes and looked like one of those perfect statues from my art history books. At the time I was

single and looking for

Mr. Right.

I thought I might have found him. So I’d purposely mess up his number just to get a better look at him.

He probably thought I was an idiot.

After I’d eaten my dinner one evening, I decided to get his attention.

My roommate, Deb, and I were sitting at a table not far from this guy and his friends. I figured I’d walk past his table on my way to get a glass of milk -- hoping to catch his eye on the return trip.

I planned to give him a big smile.

With Deb watching, I meandered past the guy’s table, got my milk and walked back.

He was shoveling beef stew in his mouth and never even looked up.

Undaunted, I decided to get another glass. But this time, on the way back to the table, my foot slipped. I didn’t fall, but I dumped the milk all down the front of myself.

I got a nice round of applause from a group of guy basketball players sitting at another table.

Obviously, they were impressed by my athletic display.

But the curly-haired guy never looked up.

One of the basketball players helped me wipe up the mess. Then, suddenly, I realized I was late for my philosophy class -- and we were taking a test.

Guess who smelled like sour milk during her test?

What happened to the curly-haired guy? I found out he was trying to date a pretty girl in our dormitory.

Hmmm.

I wonder what would have happened if I’d done a better job of waiting for God to bring Mr. Right into my life.

As time progressed, my inability to wait on the Lord produced more than one painful lesson. And looking back, I don’t know why I thought the God of the universe couldn’t handle the situation.

Don’t get me wrong. I know waiting is difficult -- especially when it involves years.

But I also know God has our best interests at heart.

So as I grew in my faith I learned to cling to verses like: “Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4.

I also read about a single guy we know as the Apostle Paul who wrote: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Notice the word “learned.” Paul says he learned how to be content. It obviously didn’t happen overnight.

So how did I begin to fill the empty, aching void in my heart?

I put God first in my life by praying to him and reading his word. I told him repeatedly about the longings in my heart and started trusting him. I got involved in lots of church activities, made great, supportive friends and saw my faith grow.

Today, I’m grateful that the curly-haired guy never looked up from his stew. He might have been horrified at the sight of a milk-soaked girl.

And I might have gotten involved with the wrong guy.

Instead, I’m thankful that God is so much smarter than I am. He found me the perfect mate: My husband, Chuck.

Am I crying over a little spilled milk these days?

Not a chance.

Tammy McKeighan is news editor of the Fremont Tribune. She can be reached at (402) 721-5000, Ext. 1433 or via e-mail at tammy.mckeighan@lee.net.