I Can’t Wait!
At the young age of five, my grandson already knows how to fast forward songs to get to his favorite parts. When I was his age, the only way I knew how to “fast forward” in a song was to pick up the needle on the record player and take a wild guess as to where I should put it down.
The other day he told me he was excited about the “Mr. Stinky Feet” concert his dad was going to take him to at a local park, and he said he wished he could just fast forward through the day to get to it.
Isn’t that the way many of us feel?
Do you ever wish you could skip the boring, unpleasant, or painful parts of your day, or your life, and just get to the good stuff? Do you ever catch yourself saying something like, “I can’t wait until ______?”
I know some young couples who have longed to become parents, (“I can’t wait until we have kids”), only to find themselves anxious later for the little rug rats to grow up a little so they can get some sleep again!
What about all the less exciting parts in the middle of your day or life? Would you skip them if you could?
I believe the old saying is true that “the journey is more important than the destination.” The pain you endure, the boring parts of your life, and the unpleasant things you go through are what build character, maturity, patience, and strength.
As Jeff said in his sermon on CR Sunday, we have to be willing to do unpleasant things to accomplish anything of value in this life.
I want to encourage you to stop saying, “I can’t wait.”
It’s okay to be excited about something in your future, but don’t wish yourself past all the rest of your life. Those parts are important, too, and they’re probably more important than the fun stuff.
Instead of saying, “I can’t wait for _____,” try this: “I’m excited for _____” or “I’m looking forward to _____.” It will help you remember that the less thrilling parts of life are vitally important, too.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3)