Filling the Emptiness of Waiting

Have you ever spent a day or two in an overcrowded waiting room? Tired, sweaty, hungry, and bored to death - condemned to do nothing but wait?

I have been there, and I hated it. Those situations can  quench your spirit and dry out your soul.

This makes me think of Nelson Mandela who spent more than 36 years of his life in a prison cell. What made this man survive mentally? What did he fill the emptiness of his imprisonment with? What did he accomplish in that cell that prepared him for presidency?

It also reminds me of those thousands of imprisoned followers of Jesus, their meaningless suffering, day after day, year after year, without ending, even today at this very moment.

What is it that makes disciples of Jesus keep their faith, hope and love in those circumstances? What enables them to bless others in the face of suffering?

Obviously, there is a choice we can make regarding the kind of thoughts we allow our minds to be filled with, no matter what the circumstances are. Even when having been robbed of everything, we still have a responsibility for what is going on inside of us. And we can do something about it.

Maybe an overcrowded waiting room isn’t that bad, after all. No matter how boring the place, I can do something about my boredom. I can remind myself of my calling and create something in my mind that changes the situation.

So, why not try to catch someone’s attention and send a smile? Or start a conversation and share a few encouraging words? It may turn the situation round for both of us and perhaps lead up to something exciting and totally unexpected.

It’s up to you and me to change a situation. Do we have the power to overcome? It all depends on what’s inside of us.

Or rather who is.