“In due time.”
That was one of my dad’s favorite Dad-isms. I have vivid memories of my brothers and I approaching our father after dinner. He would be reading the newspaper, since Dad read every single page of the Indianapolis Star every day.
We would humbly present our requests. Could we get new bikes, even though our birthdays don’t come until summer? Could we visit the local amusement park? Could we have dinner at that new fast-food restaurant with the golden arches, the one named after our family?
Dad said “No” a lot more often than he said “Yes.” That would inevitably prompt a follow-up question: But when can all these wonderful things happen?
Without lifting his eyes from the newspaper, Dad would simply say, “In due time.” We gradually came to understand that those three words (which have been in common English parlance for more than 700 years) meant “eventually” or “when the appropriate time comes.” But to a kid they could only mean one thing: not now, and probably not tomorrow, either. We’re going to have to wait.
And as every parent knows, that’s one of the hardest pills for any kid to swallow.
The apostle Peter memorably wrote, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day" (2 Peter 3:8). That led one fellow to pray, "Lord, is it really true that a thousand years to us is just like a minute to you?"
"That's true," God answered. "So," the man continued, "does that mean that a million dollars to us is like a penny to you?"
"Exactly right," replied God. Whereupon the man asked, "Lord, could I have just one of those pennies?"
"Of course," said the Lord. "Could you wait here for just one minute?"
We all want the penny. But we're not so excited about the minute. It's thrilling to think about receiving God's riches. But God's timing can be just flat out frustrating.
You're waiting for the right life partner. You were pretty sure that Mr. or Ms. Right ought to have shown up by now. The longer you wait, the more you wonder if you should go ahead and settle for Mr. or Ms. Not So Bad Compared to Everyone Else.
You're waiting for the right job - for the ideal place to use your gifts and the chance to work for a boss who appreciates what you have to offer. But it seems to be taking forever. Maybe you should just settle for the paycheck you’re earning right now.
We wait to hear news from the doctor who’s evaluating our scans. From the estranged family member who no longer responds to our texts.
We wait for something to happen. For someone’s heart to melt. For someone’s mind to change. For something to give us a sign that everything’s going to be OK.
Why does God make us wait so long for what we are certain we need right now?
The answer to that question may be that the real gift God wants us to receive is the work that he accomplishes in our hearts while we are waiting.
It took just one night to get Israel out of Egypt. But it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel. Those years of wilderness wandering allowed God to shape the character of his people in uniquely special ways, preparing them for their ultimate arrival in the Promised Land.
Still, no one thinks that waiting is easy.
What can we do?
Ask God for the grace to hang in there longer than you think you possibly can. Give God the time and space to arrange circumstances as only he can.
As the essayist James Baldwin put it, “The Lord never seems to get there when you want him, but when he arrives he’s always right on time.”
In due time, we might even say.
And you have to admit: wisdom like that is worth a truckload of pennies.
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