The Waiting Room

​Waiting and hoping is a hard thing to do when you’ve already
been waiting and hoping for almost as long as you can bear it. ~ Jenny Nimmo

Photo by christopher catbagan on Unsplash
​

​Charlie Brown is my absolute favourite of all the Peanuts Gang characters. He is so very loveable and sincere. My heart goes out to him so much though, because it seems he can never catch a break no matter how hard he tries. Daily life just seems very challenging for him. Whether he failed to impress the little redhead girl, Lucy keeps moving the football when he goes to kick it for the umpteenth time or he receives a rock from each and every house on Halloween instead of candy, life just seems so very hard for him.
​
I can relate to Charlie Brown as times are tough right now. I am sure you can too. There are just some days in life that are just plain hard. Disappointments, setbacks, struggles and heartbreak. Just when we think we are done the race, someone moves the finish line. We feel a breakthrough is coming and it doesn’t transpire, or we too feel that we are only getting rocks from life instead of treats.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
​
I recall one year when I was an occasional teacher, a group of supply teachers were called to the Board office for a “special emergency meeting.” Contracts were limited at that time but being called in sounded so promising. Excited chatter filled the room as we felt like we had hit the jackpot and life was about to get real good career wise. No-one knew why we had been called to HQ but we literally felt like the chosen ones. The anticipation was killing us and one teacher finally spoke up and excitedly said to the executive who called the meeting “We are not quite sure what is going on here, but we all feel like little kids at Christmas time!” The executive coldly replied “I don’t know what your expectations are, but I want to make it clear, Santa’s bag is empty. The only reason why you were called here today is to say jobs are scarce and we just want to make sure we have your current contact information.” Oh wow! Talk about a major disappointment. Our expectation sure didn’t meet the reality that day. A rock in our treat bags for sure.

When life does not turn out how we had hoped, it is very difficult to deal with. The plans we thought would work out fail. The dream we are working towards seems unattainable or our prayers seemingly go unanswered. Our family suffered a great loss this past year. We prayed so hard for my beautiful mother-in -law Evelyn, yet she passed away from Covid 19. It was absolutely devastating. These seasons of life are so heartbreaking and just don't make sense. 

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
​

My mom’s name is Marilyn. She is an incredible Christian lady, usually so full of life and joy. She is the type of woman who lights up a room with her infectious presence, a true blessing to all who are privileged to know her. Presently things are not going well for my mom unfortunately though. She is very ill and her “light” has dimmed and seemingly blown out from the sadness and depression she is experiencing right now.  It is devastating to see her struggle and we wonder why she has not been healed already? Why did this even happen to her? When will it end? The questions go on and on.  It is so hard to see someone we love struggle so much. We feel frustrated and powerless at times, yet we still must keep praying believing, and waiting.

Life is complicated. We live in a very fast paced society where we are used to getting what we want or need quickly. Many aspects of life are not like that though. We have to wait. We have no choice.  We do not like to wait. When life puts us in a long line, the waiting room or a holding pattern, we can grow weary, angry and frustrated. We are tired of the valley and wonder if we will ever see the mountaintop.  

​Oh, my friend, I have struggled with this so much through the years. When I was looking for a husband… When we were trying to start a family… When I miscarried my precious babies... When I was trying to get a job… When my sister had cancer… When my loved ones passed away… The list goes on and on. Why? Why? Why? Wondering, hoping, waiting, waiting and waiting some more! I would wonder why do some people get things seemingly easily, and others always struggle? It seemed so unfair to me. I saw people who did all the right things, have everything go wrong in their corner of the world. There are no easy answers.

​Photo by AZGAN MjESHTRI on Unsplash

I do not understand but still I must trust. Some answers as to why things happened the way they do may never come. What I do know is I have a faith that has carried me through each and every valley. As I reflect back on the most difficult seasons of my life, I know for certain, I was never alone. God heard my cries, but He had a different plan and his own time to bring things to pass. I heard a quote on the radio that said “God doesn’t respond well to hurry up because He already has a plan and timeline.” I look at my history of struggles and it is often after the challenging journey that I truly see God’s handiwork. It is always there, yet so hard to see when we are in the thick of struggles.

I wish I had “four easy tips” to help you get what you are longing for.  I wish I could tell you exactly what to do and how to get through this. It is very difficult. There are many things I don’t know, but I do know that you will come through this if you keep hanging on.  The advice I do have is if you are waiting for something important, special or serious for you or a loved one, please  do not give up. Keep doing what you are doing to keep hope and your dreams alive. You are not alone. It is ok to get discouraged. It is ok to question God and to even be mad at Him for what you are going through right now. Get it out of your system. Have your moment and your tears but please don’t stay there. Some of my biggest trials have enabled me to help others in very powerful ways as I have walked their walk and lived to tell about it. My biggest struggles led me to bless others with what I learned along the way.

​Charlie Brown had hit after hit, yet he still kept going. We can learn from him. When life gets hard even if it continues to be hard longer than we could ever imagine, please remember that one day you will have a story to tell of how you came through this challenging time. I don’t think so, I know so. Please know this and feel free to reach out if needed. (dana.romualdi@gmail.com)

Until next time
~ Dana

Isaiah 40:31: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint.

​Little Lesson Learned: When life gets difficult and you are waiting for a breakthrough, know that you are not alone and you are stronger than you think.

​​​​​Copyright © 2021 littlelessonslearnedbydana

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
​