By Khutso Mokgehle
Waiting is never easy!
We all can relate to this. While waiting for your medium rare steak to be delivered at your table, you can't help but look at other people's tables while side eyeing your waiter just to check if he or she has forgotten your table.
Since the restaurant staff know that the waiting is not easy, they often do some activities to keep you busy. If you have kids at the table, often times, they would be offered activity pages and crayons. For the adults, waiters normally bring condiments, then cutlery, then drinks, just to keep activity at the table to remind you that they have not forgotten about you.
Trust me, this is a strategic way of keeping the waiting "shorter" as there are little activities going on at the table as you wait. My apologies for snitching on the restaurants now you will not enjoy your next waiting time at the restaurant because you know the trick.
The mind trick works. Right?
Since waiting is never a nice thing, keeping our minds occupied is the best way of making the waiting bearable.
Are you waiting for Mr and Mrs Right to come your way? Then keep your mind occupied. Here are my top 5 activities you can do while you wait.
1. Grow your relationship with the Lord.
Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’"
One of the best things to do while waiting is to use the time to get closer to God through a disciplined prayer life and also the studying of God's word. There is so much peace in knowing God's plan for your life, and I am a living witness that the closer to God you are, the more He reveals His plans for your life. So, you will be waiting with the understanding of God's plan and purpose for your life.
2. Use your gifts for God.
1 Peter 4:10 "God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another".
God has enriched each one of us with amazing gifts, administration, writing, music, leadership, generosity, serving others, etc. These gifts God has given you so that you can serve others. I encourage you to now make use of these gifts in your local church, in your bible study group, in your community, at the students' fellowship or at any place where God has allowed you to serve.
The beauty of serving others with your gifts is that it promotes your personal growth but also gives you a motivation to get up every day and work on something valuable.
3. Academic Studies
Proverbs 15:19 "Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry."
In this economy, there is really no reason to lazy around. As a single Christian, you have more time in your hands than a married person with kids, I encourage you to study as much as you can while you can.
There is no doubt that education does open certain doors, and as a single person who hopes to have a family one day, creating a financially stable foundation will benefit your future partner and children.
So, go ahead and register for that course!
4. Be adventurous
Ecclesiates 11:9 "Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do."
Enjoy your youth! Have fun, be adventurous. There are many activities you can do with friends and family. Some activities are not expensive, like hiking, going to a beach (if you live close to one), movie nights, etc.
And if you can save up, you can do trips, horse riding, quad biking, sky diving and many other activities. It is easier when you are single and with no kids. For some of us, doing these activities starts with making arrangements for kids and arranging a baby-sitter, so please make sure you utilise this time.
5. Create meaningful friendships.
Ecclesiates 4:9-10 "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."
As waiting is difficult, doing all that does help but truth is, some days are harder than others. It is advisable to have a friend who can walk this journey with you. A friend who will remind you of God's word when it feels hard.
Make sure that you get a friend who will not lead you astray but one who will keep you grounded on God's word. Sexual temptations are rife while waiting sometimes, that is why a friend who will keep you grounded when temptations come is valuable.
In closing, let your hearts' desires be known unto the Lord.
Psalm 37:4-6 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun."
