Waiting

Our family has kidded Amanda over the years about two words that she frequently used. All the family would be ready to go somewhere, and we were waiting on Amanda. One of us would yell and tell Amanda to come on and we were waiting on her. Her response was always: “I’m coming!” Those two words could mean many things such as I will be there in 10 seconds or I will be there in 10 minutes. But it was always the same response from Amanda.

I thought of this today as I was having my treatment. Each of the proton therapy gantries must wait their turn for the proton beam. Each of my treatments consist of bursts of proton beams from three different angles. So the therapists must get the machine lined up for the next burst and then wait on our turn for the protons. Usually the timing is such that we don’t have to wait longer than a few minutes between the three angles. 

But today was not the usual day. The first angle took FOREVER (meaning maybe 10 minutes, but you have to remember that I have that bite block stuffed in my mouth and that mask binding my head to the table)! Then, the second angle took equally as long and finally the last angle took even longer. 

I did a lot of thinking about waiting while on the treatment table today. We spend a lot of our lives waiting. Want to get a person riled? Talk to them about sitting in the “waiting room” of a doctor’s office! We wait in line at the post office—there always seems to be a line! We wait to pay for our groceries, at Target, at Walmart. I was at a sub sandwich shop today to buy a take out sandwich for a friend. I waited 20 minutes for the sandwich! There were four people behind the counter; there were four people who had placed orders , so what took so long? I had my treatment this morning and I am at a hotel 10 miles from Emory. It took me 45 minutes to get there. Yes, I was waiting—to get on the interstate, then the traffic comes to a grinding halt and I have to stop and wait.  Ever add up how many minutes of your life you spend in a typical day waiting for traffic lights to change? 

A I was lying on the table today the Lord reminded me that there is one kind of waiting that we don’t do enough—waiting on the Lord. We want the Lord to speak to us, and we want Him to do it right now. 

“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.“ - Isaiah 40:31

Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that in quietness and waiting is when you are most likely to speak to my heart.