Go ahead... I'll wait...

Something these people show us is how to wait.  I'm the first to admit that there are times when I have no desire to wait and I make sure everyone around me knows through my grumbling, dirty looks and overall bad attitude.  Even with the perspective change that I'm no longer waiting from nothing but I'm actually waiting from something (God's promise), I still see a whole lot of time spent... waiting.  How can that be good?

These people waited actively.  They weren't just waiting "with nothing to do" but they looked for the fullness of each moment and practiced patience, trusting that something great was present in each breath.  I think Mary best exemplifies this attitude when she encounters Elizabeth and goes into a glory of praise and thanksgiving for the opportunity she's been given.  She could have sat glumly thinking about her swollen ankles and food cravings but she chose to focus on the promise and what that would mean.  She savored the moment, knowing that things would eventually be different and realizing she'd never again get a chance to be here, now.

They also practiced a waiting that was based on not on their own wish-fulfillment but on God's fulfillment of His will.

I think this is the one that catches a lot of us.  So often we're focused on waiting for what we want to happen - a phone call from the cute boy, a promotion at work, lower gas prices - we're not thinking about what's actually been promised to us, we're thinking about what we want to be promised to us.  Even when the the desires are based on something good and logical, they're still based on something less than God and that's the set-up for a shaky foundation.  This kind of thinking can only lead to disappointment when a wish isn't met and false hope when it is.

Instead, we need to recognize that God's plan is good and worth waiting for.  He's promised us something we can hold onto... and we can replace our wishes with hope based on that promise.