James
5:7-10
Some
things just take time. It takes
time for crops to grow, for
bread to rise, and for wine to
age. It takes time to learn how
to play a musical instrument or
to develop athletic skill. Some
things cannot be rushed. WE do
what we can to prepare the
earth and strengthen our bodies
for the tasks at hand. But in
the end, we wait.
It is
hard to wait, especially when
we anticipate good results. We
wish that children would master
the lesson, that the beloved
would return from a journey,
and that God would answer a
prayer. It is hard to wait for
what we want. Sometimes we do
not behave our best while we
are waiting. We grow impatient
and irritable.
God is
slow. It took thousands of
years for God to deliver on the
promise to Abraham. Eventually,
the child was born in
Bethlehem. Then, people had to
wait for the child to grow up.
Then
Jesus died on the cross, and
people had to wait on the
resurrection. Then he rose,
appeared, and promised to come
back again. But people had to
wait. We are still waiting.
The
letter of James says, “Be
patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.”
We know we must be patient for
Christ to come again. While we
are waiting, we strive to live
in harmony, because it is in
our community where we
experience even now the coming
of our God.
