Baba says, ‘The main foundation for imbibing a patient stage is “Wait and see”’. First of all, imbibe the virtue of patience in your hearts, and then see the huge drama externally as detached observers.

As children of God, we want to constantly serve, we want to do big things. We feel the urge within us, we have the seed sown in our heart by the drama and we are itching to bring it to fruition. But try as I might, things seem to go the wrong way. So often, I come so close, I can almost touch it and yet at the last minute, things don’t work out. It can be frustrating and de-energizing. Thoughts start to arise such as: ‘maybe I am not meant to do much after all’, ‘maybe it’s just the seniors or the ‘chosen few’ that will serve’.

God says: ‘have patience‘. The thing is, I feel ready for what I have in mind but God has something much bigger in store for me. That, I am not yet ready for.

If we were to look back on our lives, we’d find that before anything big happens, there is always a waiting period. We might not like it but it’s there for a reason. It is during this period that I build endurance for what’s to come. Often I don’t know I’m in the waiting period. I’m trying things, working furiously to make things happen and when they don’t, it makes no sense to me. What’s more – I look around and others seem like they are doing well, they are going places and here I am….still waiting.

It might seem that way but really, I am being prepared. There is patience being built within me, there are important realizations taking place within me. My character is being developed. We are often in a hurry to get to the destination but God is interested in the journey. He is working on me along the way. Things are happening every moment, this wait time is not wasted. In fact this is the time to become what will make me successful at the destination. The loftier the destination or the bigger the dream, the longer the wait time. If I were to step into my destiny before the right time, I won’t be able to appreciate it, won’t know how to handle it – be it the influence I might come into, the growth, and the opposition. I need to develop the right level of maturity, and grace to be able to sustain what God and the drama have in store for me.

He uses the times of resistance, the time of challenges to work on me, to build me up. It is when things don’t work out that I learn to maintain a good attitude anyway. It is when things don’t work out that I learn to keep my chin up and offer my co-operation to others. It is when things don’t work out that I learn to get back up and keep on believing anyway. It is when things don’t work out and others watch that I learn to not feel shame, not feel discouraged, not feel humiliation, not feel like a victim and develop self-respect. It is when things don’t work out that I learn detachment. Most importantly, it is when things don’t work out that I learn to walk in faith, I learn humility, I learn to partner with and trust God and drama. I learn to become a trustee.

These things cannot be learnt in the good times when everything is working out. Neither can they be learnt overnight or over a weekend, it takes time. So yes, it might seem that things aren’t working out but something is working in me all the time. Patience makes me stronger, it allows me to learn and come into my own greatness. And so Baba says, ‘O traveler of the night, don’t become weary…the destination of dawn is not far away’.

Often, the urgency to get to the destination comes because we feel that we are missing the opportunity, that we are falling behind. I am not. God has me exactly where He wants me…in the wait room. Let me not try to rush God and the drama, they cannot be rushed. Let me not try to take matters into my own hands, I will continue to fail. Often we think ‘make intense effort’ means to keep doing. Intense effort is the ability to remain still, remain at peace, to realize what is going on and be patient. It takes effort to not get in the way. It takes effort to not go knocking on the doors of other people to beg, convince, cajole, hustle. It takes effort to not feel rushed because I feel someone else will take my fortune- no one else can take away my fortune from me. It takes effort to stay put in the wait room, to trust God and His timing.

He can see my destiny, I can’t always in the same way. He knows what I need to be able to receive that destiny and He is preparing me for it. Let me learn. Let me remain patient, stay in faith, protect my attitude and in time, it will be proven that it was worth the wait. God has not forgotten about me, He is working on me. When I am ready, the curtains will open and I will be so surprised by what I see that my jaw will drop! Often we think small, God thinks so much bigger. He says: I am preparing you for that which you couldn’t even imagine! Wait and see…