It is a beautiful early spring day here in North Carolina.I sit here in B&N waiting on the manager who is in charge of handling purchasing in anticipation that my publisher and their distributor have worked out the glitch that has prevented my book from already being on the shelves here at Barnes and Noble. As I sit here sipping on my Blonde House Coffee from Starbucks, I can’t help think about the similarties of my expectation of this event and that of the earth which I had just plowed up in the garden last Saturday.
Like the preparation of the earth, I have already called numerous times to the Publisher preparing the event ahead of time, finding out that we had a problem with the distributor keying in the status of my book incorrectly, which has ultimately cost me at least five months of potential sales “In Store”. Granted this is all an assumed potential sell, it is like the garden. We prepare the earth, plant the seed and then wait for the results with much anticipation. As the years go by, we know the early signs of success, the new leaf sprout, the soil cracking as the plant pushes through, all in the pursuit of reaching the sunshine above, that is the life source of the plant.
However, unlike the garden, this is a fairly new endeavor, so I am naive to the early signs. I have not received my return call from the publisher acknowledging the problem has been resolved; rather, I have left unanswered voicemails and emails. I am not seeing the soil bursting forth.
So, today, I sit and wait.
I had just spent the night before at work and then a subsequent book signing at work starting late this past morning. Instead of trying to go home and then drive back, I just slept in the parking lot. Yes, I literally slept in my vehicle. I was much more refreshed and alert for the book signing considering I had not driven the hour commute, one way. Although I had a couple hours “Real” sleep, I know I am on borrowed time. It will be a matter of mintues before the exhaustion begins to creep in and I find myself fighting to remain awake.
So I sit and wait.
Outside, the trees prepare their blossoms on branches whose tips are engorged with the rush of new sap. The various basketball tournaments are in full swing, with excited fans going to and fro heading to their favorite location to watch their team compete. So much excitement, so much anticipation fills the air.
So I sit and wait.
Like the earth, like the book store, like those teams who’ve yet to play, we all wait on the hopes that what we wait on is worth the time we “Sit and Wait”. Yet, as I write this, I realize I’m not just “Sitting” while I wait. How much like life do we parallel our idle time? Do we idly sit and wait our eternal home or do we actively work to tell the story, share the Word or prepare others for life everlasting?
Yes, I might be sitting, but the wait is far from over.
“My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.” – Psalm 62:5
