There is nothing worse than waiting. Well, maybe there is but when you are waiting for something, nothing else seems to matter at that moment. And yet you teach your children how to wait. It is an important life lesson, isn’t it? Patience is a virtue. Patience with grace is a high virtue. The reason we struggle with waiting is that we think of ourselves as very important. “Doesn’t the DMV clerk know whom I am and that I am super important matters to attend to? If he did, he would get this line moving.” Waiting is a harsh law. It turns out you and I are not that important. A humbling experience for the both the adult and the preschooler.

And yet we all know good things come to those who wait. Another lesson you hope to teach your students. When we take our time with our work, better results occur. When we save up our money to make a big purchase, there is a sense of satisfaction (as opposed to the guilt of credit!).

We are told to wait for the Lord. It can be a painful experience. But it is also a delight. It is a delightful experience because we are confident in the Lord. In our saddest moments we might cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!” But in our happiest moments we simply delight in life now and the life to come. It is a win-win situation for us. No matter what, Jesus will give us life.

This is the source of all confidence, another characteristic you hope to instill in your students. King David was confident in the midst of a chaotic political situation because he believed in the resurrection from the dead. He knew that he would see the goodness of God in the land of the living (even if he died in battle). He knew that he had the ultimate victory over death. This made him confident in all things. He could take chances. He could venture all things. He didn’t have to rely on dishonorable tactics. He could do what was right even if he was persecuted or defeated in an unfair world.

So it is with us. Your confidence and the confidence of your students is in Christ. If Christ has taken care of our biggest problem (sin and death), then what do we need to be timid about? This relaxes our tension and allows us to be free. We are confident. And with this confidence we wait for the Lord in delight, enjoying the gift of life now and confidence in God’s gift of eternal life to come.