Yesterday, our son, Parker, flew home for the holidays.
Eventually.
As it turned out, a flight that was supposed to arrive in Charlotte at 11:39a didn’t actually touch down until a little after 4:30p. I lost track of the number of times his flight out of JFK was delayed after the third frustrated text.
But when he opened the car door and threw his luggage in the back seat, all the delays and frustrations vanished because he was home.
Delays are hard to deal with, but when we value what we’re waiting for, delays are worth it, and even have a purpose.
The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 CSB)
One of the reasons the flight delays were so frustrating was because there was no information given. Waiting seems pointless in the face of not knowing why. But what if they were fixing something on the plane that would ensure our son’s safe arrival? We’d say delay as long as you need to!
God isn’t slow or forgetful of delaying His promised return for no reason. He knows that every day He waits is another day for souls to be saved. And when we understand that, the delay feels less like a delay and more like a plan. Schedules and timing can get jacked up and cause us unwanted frustration, but knowing that He is still coming can make the seeming delays bearable.
After all, His arrival will definitely be worth the wait.
