I use the microwave to cook most of my meals these days, and I have realized that I have come to expect food to be ready to eat in 5 to 10 minutes, no matter what the entree may be. A turkey dinner, a meatloaf, a lasagna all take the same amount of time when it comes to frozen dinners.
The expectation I have fallen into of short time frames actually is part of a cultural phenomenon called microwave society, which is the mindset of wanting (and nearly getting) everything “right now.” Now nearly everything can come to us on demand. There is no waiting around for things for a long period of time anymore, or at least we as a people do not put up with waiting.
What has happened as a result? Patience has almost disappeared. We have become very restless and anxious as a consequence. But the Bible reminds us that patience can be a very necessary and beneficial part of life:
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains (James 5:7).
Patience makes what we are waiting for more precious and waiting allows for growth and maturing to happen in the process. The people of God were patient in waiting for the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, thousands of years after the promise was made. So it is only natural that we are called upon to wait patiently as the followers of Christ for his coming again to take us home with him to heaven. In the nearly two thousand years that have passed since Christ’s ascension, the Church has grown and matured and developed a closer relationship with our Savior. We have become more willing to let things happen in God’s time. We know that the wait will one day end with a harvest of blessings that can never be taken away: everlasting life with Christ. Isn’t that worth the wait?
