nukelearfishing

>waiting

>Fragile ParcelI am awaiting a delivery. The package should be arriving today between 8 am and 6 pm. I daren’t go out because I am sure that it will arrive the moment I have turned out of our road. I am even cautious about going to the bathroom because I don’t want to miss it. Thankfully today is one of Sally’s days off so she will be around at times and can release me from my self-imposed hermiting. Is it just me, or do other people find it really frustrating waiting around for something to arrive or for a tradesman to turn up? Aspects of my life have to go on hold until I am released from it by the arrival of a van.

UPSThe package is being delivered by UPS, which means that I can track its progress online. I know precisely when it was checked out of the warehouse yesterday, when it arrived at the main depot, when it left the main depot, when it arrived at the local depot, when it left the local depot and… that’s it. I am now waiting. I’m impressed at the technology that enables me to track the parcel’s progress but knowing where it has been and when does not help me now. I am reassured that it’s on its way. But I don’t know when it will be with me.

There’s an obvious (and early) Advent parable here – people waiting for generations for what has been promised, not knowing when God will fulfil the promise, and when Jesus arrives life begins in a new way.

But that’s not what I find the most compelling aspect of this. I wonder how many people have a similar experience of me? How frustrated do people get waiting for me to do something, say something or go somewhere? I felt really bad recently when I realised I had let someone down in a time of need and realised I needed to apologise. I have previously blogged about the value of a phone call, a visit, a note, a bunch of flowers. But when I neglect or forget to do those things it has an impact on the person whose need has been neglected or forgotten much greater than any guilt or shame I may feel.

I remember reading a version of the following in a church magazine when I was a teenager.

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
It made me feel guilty (not a good motivator) but it also made me think about how important it is that I play my part – to be a free sample of Jesus for people who need it.
Anybody can read my blog. I don’t expect Everybody will. I hope that Nobody will be upset. I pray that Somebody might be blessed.

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One response to “>waiting”

  1. Catriona avatar
    Catriona

    >In my experience, the trouble with these deliveries is not that they'll come when you're in the loo, it's that they'll either be in the first hour or the last hour. So either you cancel a whole day of stuff for nothing – and then feel guilty – or you waste a whole day dooing nothing and feeling anxious about going to the loo. It's all carefully engineered so that you end up stressed, guilty or both.

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