Reward of the Wait

     Erect, tall and still; stood my five children, side by side. Their eyes searched the branches and scanned the skies. None of them dared to brush the wind-blown tufts of hair from their eyes, nor allow a whisper to escape their lips.

     Perfect repose.

     “Why won’t they come?” I could imagine their quiescent thoughts. Such unusual behavior, rarely exemplified by my boisterous crew, but their motivation was immense. The wait was the only way to discover if the reward would come.

     The greater the wait -- the greater the experience of the reward.

     I know this from years of patience in action, but they are still at the discovery stage of this reality. I reminisce back to the promise of each new baby and ponder how the nine months created intensity of reward beyond imagination. By the time each of my infants had entered the world, creamy-wet with lungs full of cries, my whole being was ready to love -- passionate and full!

     I want my children to encounter a taste of the truth I have learned from time -- the depths of God’s gifts are experienced when the pain of waiting is great. Reminiscent of David of old, who was desperately on the run from his enemies that threatened to take his very life, David spoke of the wait and the rescue, “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit…He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” (Psalms 40:1-2)

     I ponder this for a moment – the words PATIENT and WAIT are twinned, never meant to be separated. Combined with HOPE, they create a trio of what God intends for each of us.

     Then we hear the noise for which we have waited.

     Chickadee-dee-dee. Chickadee-dee-dee.

     The sound rings of promise as it draws closer to where my five still remain steadfast at their posts, the seeds overflowing in their hands. It happens – the first tiny bird lands on the fingers of one of my indefatigable children. The corners of their mouth turn upward until it seems to split from the magnitude of the smile.

     We celebrate together in silence . . . aware of how easily this moment could be shattered. More birds come. The success of the first chickadee indicates to the others that it is a safe place, and they take turns with flits and swoops around our heads. Joy fills the air and we smile together. A magnificent memory is built from patience in waiting, and the joy of the reward.

"If we hope for what we do not yet have, we WAIT for it patiently.” Romans 8:25