“On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree.” About a week and a half ago I was sitting on a plane waiting for take off and the information panel showed that the elevation of the plane sitting idly on the tarmac was about 25-30 feet. This was in the Boston Logan airport which is essentially right at sea level so I was probably sitting about 20 feet off the ground. Twenty feet compared to the thirty to forty thousand feet the plane would be flying at once it got going is nothing. However, 20 feet in the air is more than double the height that I could possibly hope to achieve if I tried to leap into the air with my own strength. I was probably sitting in the plane for at least 15-20 minutes before it started taxiing, and even longer before it finally took off and all of that time, even though I wasn't really going much of where yet, I was still much, much higher than I could ever get on my own. It can be really hard to have the patience to wait upon the Lord and His timing. We do our best to love and serve Him and keep His commandments but it still feels like we're going nowhere. But even when we pray and pray and pray and we keep getting the same answer - not yet - all of those acts of obedience and selfless service are already lifting us higher than we could possibly leap on our own power. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31). We can take solace in the fact that are lives are still richer and more filled with peace and joy and hope when we are waiting on the Lord, but we can also look forward with anticipation towards the day when the waiting is finally over and we are no longer waiting 20 feet off the ground, but soaring through the air on the wings of eagles at 40,000 feet. It is far better for us to leap with the Lord according to His timing then to try and leap as high as we can on our own power.
