As a man, I judge stores that sell women’s clothing very differently than my wife and daughters. In fact, much of what’s important to them is incomprehensible to me. All I can do is remember what they’ve previously liked and do my best to give my full attention to them while I wait—first while they choose and then while they try-on. I also carry items they want to take to the dressing room. Since I don’t understand their process, my judgments are based on my needs. First, are the aisles wide enough for me to comfortably carry six items without knocking down stock? Few past that test. Second, is the store organized the way a man thinks? In other words, are all the blouses in one area or are they scattered, making you look at a whole lot more stuff than you wanted? Most fail this test. And finally, the most important thing to consider when choosing a women’s store: Are there comfortable chairs to sit in while you wait for clothes to be tried on? Proximity to the changing room is also very good. It must be close enough for questions but far enough away to avoid embarrassing encounters with other store patrons. (TVs tuned to sports or action movies would be great, but that is only a dream!) Whether my criteria is met or not, my job is to be attentive and patient, and I find it hard if I’m uncomfortable or bored.

As a young man, I was unaware of the importance of waiting and waiting well. No one took me aside and told me the results of being impatient and that shopping excursions were much more important than the clothes carried home. And I remember no sermon titled, “Wait Patiently for God.” Yet it’s one of the reoccurring themes of the Bible. As I’ve exhausted my wisdom and initiative in an area of personal need, I’ve realized that’s it time for me to wait. If I don’t know what to do or how to do it, any action I take is more likely to take me away from God than towards Him.

I’ve been thinking about Biblical examples of waiting. At the time of Jesus’ birth, one of the less prominent figures was Simeon, an old man to whom God had revealed that death would not come until he had seen the Messiah. Simeon may have waited fifty years or short time, but was described as “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” And he waited until the Spirit moved him to go to the temple, at exactly the right time to meet the baby Jesus.

"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required…" (Luke 2:25-27)

How do you wait for God? What is the balance between diligence, which the Bible also commands, and waiting for God and resting in His Promises? Simeon apparently got it right, although no mention is made of how comfortable he was as he waited.

It seems to come down to doing what I “should” instead of doing what I “could.” Simeon could have run all over Jerusalem, checking every baby that was born. Instead, he waited for that “should” moment—that inner sense of “Now!” Abraham, another man given a profound promise—this time for son—waited for a long time, grew impatient, and fathered the wrong son with the wrong woman at the wrong time. He did what he could do with disastrous results.

Perhaps that was not dissimilar to the results of being an impatient shopper while I accompany my ladies… impatience and inappropriate initiative gives ruinous results. Their process of looking and choosing is incomprehensible to me, as is God’s process. I’m along for the journey and have an important part to play, but the boundaries are distinct. I make suggestions but not demands. I follow and don’t lead. I do what I’m asked to do, and when initiating beyond that, I watch for feedback and quickly abandon what is not well received. I like the results but not the process. And I wait as patiently and comfortably as I can.

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalms 27:14)