What Are You Waiting For?

If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8:25, NIV

A man and a woman noticed each other on the morning New York-to-Washington air shuttle. Sparks flew, but no words were exchanged, even as they stood together in the taxi line at Washington National. She got in a cab, looked back, and saw him running after her. She begged the cabbie to stop, but he kept going. She scrawled her phone number on a piece of paper and pressed it against the back window, but she knew the man was too far away to read it.

So she went to her meeting. But she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Realizing the man had had no luggage, so he would surely be returning to New York that day as well, she feigned illness and returned to the airport to wait for him to catch the shuttle back to New York. She waited all day and got on the 9 p.m. flight alone. “Stepping into the gate area, she looked ahead. And there he was. ‘What took you so long?’ he asked. ‘I’ve been waiting all day.’”^a

The story has been published in a book called The 50 Most Romantic Things Ever Done. But whether it’s an urban myth or a true story, it reveals the sage advice of the old proverb: Good things come to those that wait. And they do.^b

Of course, few of us enjoy waiting. It seems like a waste of time yet often reaps a reward. One famous example is that of perfume and cosmetics mogul Estée Lauder. After starting her business, Lauder realized she had to persuade a cosmetics buyer to place her products in stores. One day at 9 a.m., Lauder was waiting to see Marie Weston, the cosmetics buyer. Since Lauder had no appointment, she was advised to come back another day. But Lauder decided to wait, even though the buyer was booked solid all day. Finally, after 5 p.m., Marie Weston came out of her office. She looked at Estée Lauder in disbelief, then admiration, and said, “Well, do come in. Such patience must be rewarded.”

What are the two of you waiting for? Chances are you know the answer to this question immediately. Maybe it’s a job promotion or a raise in salary. Maybe you’re waiting for the slow grief of a lost loved one to dissipate. Perhaps it’s an upcoming vacation or a new life phase, like enjoying an empty nest. Or maybe it’s the arrival of a new baby. Most of us, most of the time, are waiting for something. And that’s why a prayer for patience is always in order. Have you asked God to give you this gift in your marriage lately?

Waiting is a period of learning.

—Henri Nouwen

^a 79

^b 80

From the book