Waiting For People

...the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. -- 1 Peter 3:4

I have always been an impatient person. And it irks me so much when people are late for our appointments. It is because I am a stickler to time. When I make an appointment, I make sure that I am already at the appointed place about 10 to 15 minutes earlier in order to settle down. So when the person I am going to meet is 15 minutes late, that means I have been waiting for already half an hour. Unless otherwise there was really an emergency that kept me long, I can be expected to arrive before the time. Or else, I would send word that I will be late.

I remember having a cold war with a friend in college. We were supposed to meet in school at 3pm. I live very far from our school, so I had to travel almost an hour just to make the appointment. I got there at 2:45pm. At 3:30pm, my friend still wasn't there. When I called up their home phone to check if she had already left, she was the one who answered the phone. And to my dismay, I learned that she had not taken a bath yet. I knew that she takes a bath for about an hour and consumes about 30 minutes drying her hair. And the travel time from her house to our school is 30 minutes. So how much longer would I have to wait? No, I did not wait any longer. I went home. She didn't speak to me for several days.

I thought up of a solution to this problem of waiting. Instead of keeping the time of appointment, I would arrive "fashionably" later, like about 10-20 minutes later than the appointment. So if the other party arrives 30 minutes late, I only get to wait 10 minutes. And I am not harassed trying to keep the schedule. I did this for a few years. It did work well. But for those who arrived on time, they had to wait for me.

I have done this for several years until lately. As I read this verse in 1 Peter, I realized that my solution had been less than honorable. Not only did I join the ranks of Filipinos known to arrive late for appointments, I have been inconsiderate because I have made others wait as well. So instead, now I have decided to ask God, not really for the people that I am supposed to meet to arrive on time (although it will be much appreciated), but to have a gentle and quiet spirit as I wait for them.

The verse may be talking about other things, but for me, having a gentle and quiet spirit should affect all aspects of my life. Instead of grumbling because my friend or client is late, I am asking God for the serenity as I wait for them. Who knows? God may have a purpose for that time and I can use it to do other things, among which is to praise Him and listen to Him speak while I wait.