Welcome dear friend, so lovely to have you drop by…I have some Pikelets (mini pancakes) with strawberry jam & a dollop of cream for our treat.
Have you noticed that waiting is one of the hardest things to do & can be one of the most frustrating to go through!
So why is waiting so difficult?
Waiting can take many forms;
waiting for that long awaited child to make their entrance into the world;
waiting for that romantic special One to appear;
waiting for a promise to be fulfilled;
waiting for our prayers to be answered;
waiting for healing, just to name a few.
Whatever the reason, we are placed in a holding pattern, one where we’re constantly circling above the expected hope, this can be a very challenging time!
Did you know that there is a psychology to waiting!
There has been a great deal of psychological research done on this very subject & most come to a similar conclusion on the behavior patterns of those waiting!
The studies found that when people have an expected time for the outcome of what they are hoping & waiting for the following behavior patterns are observed;
- The further away the expected time for the outcome is believed to be ~ the greater the patience exhibited!
- The closer the expected time for the outcome ~ the less patient people become & greater the frustration experienced!
In other words if we think the outcome of our hope is a long way off, we come into an attitude of resigned acceptance.
It’s going to happen one day in the future so hope & expectation looks ahead to the positive outcome which nurtures patience!
Expectations in waiting
However, if our expectation is that it’s going to happen at any minute our attitude increasingly becomes impatient & frustrated as time passes & our hope remains unfulfilled.
Our hope & expectation turns into fear & anxiety. Which hinders the development of patience.
You may ask, what does patience actually do for us & why do we need to develop it in life?
It’s actually a critical component for our emotional, mental & spiritual well being as it helps us to persevere through life with resilience.
It builds faith & trust in God’s perfect timing for the outcome of our hope.
Rest in the Lord & wait patiently for Him; do not fret…
Psalms 37: 7 Refer
Let’s take the above example, waiting for that long awaited child to make their entrance into this world.
I’ve had five children, so this is a subject I can personalise. Five pregnancies is a long time of waiting!
However look what amazing development is taking place in the meantime. A little human with all of their potential is being created. How awesome is that!
When a woman first knows she’s pregnant & given the due date for the birth, she’s excited & hopeful in her expectation.
She accepts that in her patient waiting, even with the morning sickness, discomfort, major changes to her body & the pain of labor that she will be rewarded in due time with the safe arrival of her child.
However what happens when that due date comes & goes!
Her attitude of patience begins to wear thin, the longer the time goes past the due date, the more impatient she becomes which eventually turns into frustration.
Hot on the heels of frustration come fear & anxiety for the safety of her child which can lead to stress, which in turn impacts both her & her unborn child.
Our attitude when waiting either nurtures or hinders healthy emotional & spiritual development…
Shall we ask ourselves, do we need to have an attitude check in our time of waiting!
Hmmm…something for us to reflect upon dear friend…
I like the following message;
“Let go, relax & know that I am God…”
Psalms 46: 10a Refer
Until next time…
Jennifer
You’re welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or in Prayer
© 2018 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog, All Rights Reserved. Photo by Taryn Elliott on Pexels.com
Tea With Jennifer 
Lovely meditation! This explains why I always found “Half days” at school or at work so much more miserably LONG than full days! Thanks so much for stopping by to visit my blog. Subscribing here : )
This is true Anna I remeber days line that at work too! Lovely having you drop by 🙂
Our third granddaughter arrived three months ago quite late 🙂 and you are so right – we became increasingly impatient with each day that passed. May we learn to wait patiently and expectantly in the days ahead.
Congratulations Joanne that is exciting!
I think that’s very true. When we know we have a long time to wait it is not so hard. It’s when we think the thing is about to happen, or should have already happened, that it gets more difficult. So important to trust God in the waiting!
Absolutely Lesley!
Feeling refreshed and ready to relax…remembering God has it all under control! ❤ Blessings and love, Jennifer. xo
Amen Bette! ♥ blessings to you too 😀
I really love your comments about waiting and patience….oh, so true. And spoken with encouragement!
Thank you 😀
Your cover photo is just beautiful. I don’t mind waiting when I know the time frame. I do get a bit impatient when things are just up in the air as they sometimes are. Letting go and letting God isn’t always easy. I suppose we are called to wait for some things in God’s time.
Thank you Kara, yes waiting can be very challenging at times especially on God’s timing which is not our timing for things in our lives.
I think I had the advantage of growing up in a three generational home, benefitting from daily life with elderly grandparents where nothing could be rushed and patience was part of every interaction. My first child was a week overdue but while I found that week longer than other weeks I didn’t grow impatient, instead I walked a lot and was blessed with a 4.5 hour labour!
You were blessed indeed Marie! Both with learning patience at an early age which held you in good steed through waiting in the meantime later in life & with a short labor!
Thanks Jennifer, for all your kind responses. Xx
I learned what Pikelets are today. Thank you! You used a wonderful example for waiting when you wrote about a woman waiting for her child to be born, and the psychology you describe is spot on! In the beginning, there is patience and acceptance, but the closer you get to your due date, the more anxious and frustrated we get (I certainly did). Great reminder to develop a healthy, patient attitude.
I appreciate your kind words Laurie, thank you :-). I observed this happening to my friends with their over due pregnancies.
I had all my babies before their due date which sets up its own dynamic of patience v anxiety for each proceeding pregnancy.
Patience in waiting is definitely an attitude to nurture in that “letting go & relaxing in God’s Will” for the outcome.
My children were born 2 weeks late, 3 1/2 weeks late (!!!), and 3 weeks late. I needed lots of patience during those overdue weeks!
Goodness Laurie that was definitely patience in waiting! Glad they all arrived finally, did they all arrive safely?
A lovely thought provoking post Jennifer. I spent many years learning this lesson. Finally, the penny dropped!
Thank you Brigid, yes I too learned this on the mountain climb of life but oh the peace & pure serenity that came once I let God be who He is! 😀
I like this, “Let go, relax, and know that I am God.” I often fret while waiting, especially when there is a prayer that I want God to answer. Jennifer, thank you for your great insights.
You’re welcome Pam, this comes from hard learned lessons 😉
But oh the peace & serenity that there is when we ‘Let go, relax & know that He is God’ in our lives & the lives we are praying for whether they realize that or not…
Blessings,
Jennifer