Can We Get Started Already?

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9

This last week I was summoned for jury duty.  Fortunately it came at a time of the year that is reasonably slow at work and neither did I have a vacation planned.  I know a lot of people complain about jury duty, but the one previous experience I have had with it was pretty positive.  My instructions were to be at the courthouse at 8 o’clock in the morning.  So I took a book with me and went to find the juror’s waiting room.

I signed in and found a seat at the quieter end of the waiting room.  There was a man sitting near me that was already complaining to anyone who would listen that he was tired of waiting.  The woman in charge of signing us in came on the loudspeaker and gave some further instructions about signing in and about the form that each of us needed to complete.  The man complained some more about waiting.  The lady in charge then played a video for us from one of the judges.  On the video the judge talked about the importance of the courts and the jury system.  He reminded us we had an important part to play and asked us to approach our jury service with the seriousness it deserves.  After the video was over the man near me was complaining again about how long we were having to wait.

After about an hour the lady in charge of our waiting room called out a list of names to go to one of the courtrooms for jury selection.  The man near me disappeared and I was glad he was gone.  It hadn’t even been an hour yet, but he was complaining as if we had been locked in for a whole day.  Several times during the morning the lady in charge would call out a list of names, sending the people up to a courtroom for jury selection.  Each time she started calling names I stood up, expectantly.  While I didn’t want to complain, I was starting to get a little anxious.  I was hoping that I could get started and either be selected for a jury or sent home.  I get that way a lot.  It could be the start of a very long car drive, making an oral presentation at work, or initiating a difficult conversation of an interpersonal nature.  I frequently find that I have an attitude of wanting to start and get the whole thing over.  Sometimes I want to get it started so bad, that I am not really thinking about whether it is actually the right time to start or not.

I am really glad that God is not like me.  I just can’t see God getting impatient or anxious about when some event in our grand universe is supposed to start.  I can’t see God getting nervous and deciding to get something started just to get it over with.  Instead he is patient so that everything happens at just the right moment.  God wants every single person to have every possible chance to be saved.  While God is waiting for people, I guess he is probably waiting for me to learn more about patience too.

[PhotoCredit:RaeA & Joe Gratz]