Do you remember being a kid and having to wait for something a really, really, really long time- like a whole week?! I remember Christmas season being especially torturous for me as a kid. We weren't allowed to even THINK about Christmas until after our family returned from the annual thanksgiving trip to Louisiana. But once we did, oh boy! It was out with the tree, decorations, Christmas music, and the eager anticipation.
As a kid my mom had a tradition of making a paper chain for the three of us kids. She would write a special Christmas activity on each link of the chain and make sure there was a link for each day of December until Christmas. Early each morning my brothers and I would race downstairs to open the next link and see what special thing we would do that day. Maybe we would make gingerbread men, go sledding, watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas", or maybe it was some planned activity, like a Christmas party or a concert at church. But once the link was opened, did I sit there staring at in sheer joy, happy that at last I had opened that particular link? Of course not, now that THAT link was open, I couldn't wait until the NEXT day to see what we were gonna do tomorrow.
Now that I'm at least a little bit older, I don't have a paper chain (especially here in Taiwan) and Christmas doesn't have quite the same sense of anticipation as it used to. We even have the great distinction of being the last team here in Taiwan to put up our tree. Maybe if I still got trampolines and doll houses for Christmas I'd be more excited about it.
But I've been thinking a lot about waiting on the Lord and being patient lately and well, I'm realizing that not much has changed since the little girl Tina wanting to know what was in that next link. When I find out what's happening today, I want to know what's going to be coming tomorrow. I suppose part of this is human nature, but do I really want to spend the rest of my life being impatient for the next link in my chain? What happens when all the links have been opened, the chain is gone, and I realize that I haven't enjoyed it?
So my challenge to you and to myself this Christmas is ENJOY the wait. Enjoy all the gingerbread men, sledding trips, and Charlie Brown reruns while you wait. That's your life- that's MY life. Pray for us this Christmas season. Pray that we'll keep our focus on our mission and not getting distracted by missing family member. Pray that we'll show the love of Jesus to ALL those around us, even when they trample on "our" rights. Thank you so much for your prayers. I'm off to help with finally getting our tree up. Enjoy those Charlie Brown reruns...
Sheng Dan Jie Kuai Le!
Kai Shi for the Ying Pan Team
