Finding the Joy in the Waiting: Living in the Now with the Spirit

Brothers and sisters, if I asked you right now to picture a time when you were *waiting* for something—maybe a delayed flight, maybe waiting for a crucial answer in a missionary discussion, or even just waiting for the next Sunday meeting to start—what comes to mind? For many of us, the word 'wait' brings a little knot of impatience, doesn't it?

It’s so easy to live with our eyes fixed on the destination. We get so focused on the next assignment, the next breakthrough, the next time we can feel the fullness of the Spirit in a big way. We get so excited about the *future*—the day we can gather Israel, the day we can see the temples restored, the day we can finally feel like we've "arrived."

But what if the greatest gift, the most profound moment of discipleship, is right here, in the waiting? It’s in the mundane, the everyday moments that feel utterly unremarkable.

The Discipline of the Present Moment

I was recently pondering some thoughts on this, and it really struck me how often we treat life like a series of 'IF/THEN' statements. *IF* we get promoted, *THEN* we’ll be happy. *IF* the building is bigger, *THEN* we’ll feel settled. *IF* this difficult situation changes, *THEN* then we can finally enjoy life.

It sounds familiar, doesn't it? We build up these conditions for happiness, and when those conditions aren't met—when the plane is delayed, or when a teaching moment requires patience with a slow learner—we get frustrated. We get annoyed at the delay, or at the person, or at the circumstances.

The beautiful, challenging truth we learn through our journey as Latter-day Saints is that the Atonement of Jesus Christ isn't just for our sins; it's for our *entire* experience. He died so we could access life in its fullness—and that includes the messy, slow, waiting parts!

When I was thinking about this, I was reminded of the principle of being Christlike. Being Christlike isn't just about grand gestures of service; it’s about the quiet endurance when you’re stuck in traffic, or when you have to repeat the same explanation for the fifth time. It’s about choosing to say, "I know my time is in His hands," even when my natural inclination is to fret and worry about what's next.

Being Christlike in the Everyday

This is where the concept of the missionary preparation skill comes into play, whether you are preparing to serve full-time, or if you are simply living your life as a disciple at home. We must learn to *enjoy* the process. We must learn to find the joy in the seemingly ordinary.

If we wait until everything is perfect—the perfect assignment, the perfect building, the perfect set of circumstances—we might miss the very gift that is being given to us right now: the chance to practice faith, patience, and gratitude in this very moment.

My challenge to you this week, as we continue to be internet missionaries in our own spheres, is to intentionally pause. Don't just *get through* the waiting; *notice* the waiting. What can you learn about patience? What can you practice in kindness toward someone who is frustratingly slow to grasp a concept? That is where the Spirit whispers the gospel truths into your heart.

If you want to dig deeper into this, I highly recommend checking out some of the recent teachings on patience and faith in the LivingBook. If you're looking for a structured way to apply this, join a Book Club or a Bible Study Group in HolyPlaces. We can discuss how these principles apply to our current challenges.

Keep sharing your experiences in the Social Scripture Study feed—let's encourage one another to cherish the now!