How Well Do You Play The Waiting Game?

Have you ever tried to peel a banana that isn’t ripe?

How’d that work out for ya?

Oh sure, you can muscle it and pull the peel apart, ripping the hard, green skin and shredding it while usually leaving parts you can’t grab attached to the fruit itself.

All the while the hard, unripe fruit just stands there and looks at you like “Way to go Einstein!”

Why can’t you peel an unripe banana?

Because it isn’t ready.  That’s why.

The skin is still too thick.  It needs more time to let the hormones inside produce the ethylene gas that causes the skin to ripen. (That is your science lesson for the day.)

Basically, you can’t force it.  It will do what it does in its own time.

Hmm.

Have you ever noticed the physical makeup of an unripe banana?

Besides being green, the skin is also thick and there are hard ridges that run from top to bottom.

Not very appetizing or lovely.

When it gets ripe it turns a beautiful sunny yellow, the skin becomes thin, yet protective and the ridges even out and become soft.

Not only is the banana easy to peel, but it also tastes good inside. For all intents and purposes, it’s a perfect food.

Now I know…. that you know…. where I’m going with this.

How many times have you tried to do something before you were ready?
You knew it wasn’t time yet and still, you muscled it, forced it, and ended up with something akin to “Way to go Einstein!”

We’ve all done it.

It’s ok.

How green were you?  How hard and rigid were your edges?  Would the outcome have been different if you would have just waited?

Easier said than done I know. Trust me, I’m the queen of “doing.”

In my mind, if I’m doing I’m succeeding.  If I’m moving, shaking, cleaning, baking, I’m all good.  It’s the waiting that kills me.

Since I’m so bad at it the Creator of the Universe has had to step in and give me a time out.  That’s never fun.

However, it does give me great insight into what can happen when I just wait.

Wait for Him to open the doors.
Wait for Him to put the right people in my path.
Wait for Him to shine a light just a little further down the road instead of me getting all caught up with what’s in front of me or sparkling in my side vision.

And I have found that when I wait, I am more beautiful. I am softer. I am better than I was before. I’m far from perfect, let’s get that straight, but I’m better than when I try to muscle it all on my own.

Honestly, I’m still not good at waiting. I still need practice. A lot of practice. Luckily for me, the Big Guy knows that and is more than helpful in that area. He’s always throwing new stuff my way. For my part, I continue to do my best mainly so I do not have to look in the mirror after one more of my muscle jobs and say to my reflection, “Way to go Einstein!”

Ah, waiting. It’s not for the faint of heart but it is essential for those who want to be ready, ripe, and available for the goodness of the Lord.

How well do you wait?

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash