Are we there yet? You're already running late to an appointment, when someone doesn't brake in time and ends up rear-ending your car on a main highway.
Are we there yet? You've found yourself working overtime (having just booked dinner with friends) because your manager needs that report completed for 9.00am meeting tomorrow morning.
Are we there yet? When you see everyone around you realise their dreams, whether in ministry/business/sport/academics or in life itself, yet you find yourself still praying for breakthrough.
Jesus has to be the best example of waiting with purpose. He was born in somewhat anonymity; where we're only told a fraction of information from his early life. It was 18 years after the temple incident that Jesus emerges to start his ministry at the age of 30 (30 is the age from everything that we understand that Jesus initiated his Ministry).
I was recently pondering how he must have felt to wake up each day in between, asking (waiting) on God with the same question. "Is today the day?"… "Are we there yet?"
Yet... each day, he would be answered with "Not yet my son, my timing is opportune but right now is not the time" (Paraphrased from Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1).
In spite of the wait, Jesus walked in obedience and trusted God's timing. He learnt the trade, faced the everyday challenges of life and constantly chose to immerse himself in the word every opportunity he had.
Jesus being human, still managed to do this all while walking blamelessly in a world of distractions and didn't opt to try it in his own strength or timing.
At present, my world looks something like this: juggling a 40+ hour working week, family time, building lifetime friendships and serving and leading beyond my natural capacity in church.
In between all this; finding time to go to the gym, ensure I'm at appointments on time and run necessary errands is often a miracle in itself!
The constant rush and hectic schedule has recently got me thinking about deep desires and God-given dreams. Am I waiting with purpose or am I trying to do it in my own strength? God wants us to dream big and to set our sights on saving the world, while realising that it is the everyday moments of faithful obedience and trust that build you (and I) into the person he needs you to be one day for a perfect moment that only you can fill.
Habakkuk 2 verse 3 (TLB) puts it like this, "But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day."
Timing (and faith) has everything to do with trust and obedience.
So, next time I'm sitting in the passenger seat asking God the "Are we there yet?" question, I'm going to focus on who's driving.
Meenal Chandra is currently a campaign consultant working at in Marketing and communications at a large professional services firm.