Is it Time Yet?

As a parent, you see life differently. You gain perspective about people, attitudes, good behavior, bad behavior, excuses, love, acceptance, friendship and much much more.

As a theologian and a parent, I also garner new insights about God.  I've blogged before about finding sacred moments in time shared, particularly with a baby. But as my baby girl grows up, I'm learning a whole lot more about God. 

Often, I hear God's voice/attitude/perspective toward me as I speak to my own child.  (Though I always assume God is much more gracious than I.

This is a frequent conversation with my daughter (though the specifics often change form):

Me: Ruth, we are going to go to ______________ today after lunch. Think about what you might like to take with us.
Ruth: (3 minutes later, 62 items in hand) I'm ready!!
Me: Good job anticipating what you want.  But we aren't leaving until after lunch.
Ruth: But I'm ready now!
Me: That's great, but we can't go until after lunch...that's 3 hours away.
Ruth: (in teenage-esque protest) But mooooooom!
Me: Ruth, we can't go for awhile. You need to find something to do until then.

Then seemingly ever 2 to 5 minutes for the next 3 hours:

Ruth: Can we go now?  Is it time yet?  I'm ready to go! Why do we have to wait so long?!

I can't help but imagine God feels the same way about me sometimes.  There are things God tells me that God has in the works, and then I get excited about that and I'm ready to go, regardless of how long God indicated it might take.  I wrote the other day about my frustration in the midst of waiting.  In this time, God hasn't told me when things were going to happen, only to trust that God is at work.

And so I, much like Ruth, am regularly asking, "Is it time? Is it now?  What about now? Why do I have to wait so long?!" 

And to my impatience, God retorts, "I've told you I am working on things. I need to get things ready for us first.  You need to be patient.  It will happen."

And so I keep waiting...with all the patience of an almost 5 year old.  :)