#30DaysOfThanks Day 4: Waiting Rooms

 It's been a day of hurry up and wait. I had breakfast this morning with this wonderful office in a small country town just north of Birmingham. I had to hurry because there was a small mishap in the breakfast caterer but I made it and it was the most beautiful meeting. The physician was a missionary in Indonesia and was such a cool man to talk to. I got to talk to his staff for an extended period of time and absolutely fell in love with their hearts. What a heart for people! "We love on them. We cry with them. We laugh with them. We pray with them." As if cinnamon crunch bagels weren't enough to make my morning so bright I needed shades, the lord saw fit to include me in conversations this morning that made me melt like Alex Mac. (Nickelodeon, circa 1998)

And then the waiting. 

As I waited in one of the busiest family practice offices in Birmingham, I saw human interaction that made my heart smile so big it showed its gums. (I don't know, it sounded good.) Strangers helping strangers. Strangers telling strangers their life stories and receiving sincere hugs and prayers in return. 

It's a beautiful thing, waiting. So many times in life we focus on what we need to do so much during our wait that we forget to pay attention to things around us while we wait. Maybe you've been asked to wait wherever you are in life to learn from your surroundings. And likely, like in this case, you'll watch from the sidelines and have minimal (at best) dealings with the situation you're observing. Pray for guidance and patience and willingness to sit and learn. Maybe God has you where you are to show you something very significant. My waiting experience today was important to my heart because it showed me how vitally important vulnerability and openness to others is. 

Open your hearts to new experiences and pray for the patience to wait and a keen eye to learn while you do. Wait patiently. Wait joyfully. Wait faithfully.  ❤️