David Accepted as King

What is your wait capacity?
Can you accept leaders?

"Maximum: 25 tons" -- the sign on the bridge made it clear. A driver of a truck weighing 28 tons, assaying to cross the bridge, ran the risk of breaking the bridge. Some bridges have lower weight capacities than others, but all bridges have their limit. Such is the nature of bridges, you know.

Generally speaking, humans have a low wait capacity. Most people can take only so much wait in their lives. Once that limit is exceeded, the extra stress takes them closer and closer to the breaking point. (It seems we Americans have developed the lowest toleration for wait.)

How about you? How does your wait capacity rank: high or low? Can you wait? Do you know how to wait? What are you in a hurry about? Whether they apply to you or not, let's look at a few areas that challenge our wait limit.

Marriage. Somehow this notion exists out there that waiting for marriage wastes time and opportunity. (I suppose it might, if a thirty-year-old waits fifty years to decide on the right "girl.") My observation has been that hastening into marriage has no perceptible edge over waiting. I wish someone would enlighten me on the advantages to not waiting for marriage.

Recognition. How come we put such a low premium on obscurity? We want people to know us, know about us, appreciate us, and give us due recognition for our accomplishments. Would it matter to me if this booklet didn't have my name on the front page? Would it matter to you if my name weren't there? (I didn't think so.) You know, most recognition is that way. So what's the rush; why can't we wait?

Service. This one seems rather strange as a wait issue. Can it possibly be that we have to wait before serving? Yes and no. We should never wait to serve when presented with the opportunity to do good for someone else. On the other hand, certain service opportunities are best not entered into until we have waited (and prepared) awhile.

Success. Was it that Edison fellow who invented the incandescent light bulb? I'm certainly glad he had a high wait capacity in the success department! I understand he tried over 500 different combinations before he finally came up with one that would last. If success is worth having, it is also worth waiting for...provided we continue our striving while we wait.

Fun. Can you hardly wait for the next "fun" event in your life? I feel that way sometimes. I look forward to the rare volleyball or chess game with great anticipation (monthly board meetings are fun in their own way also). But most of the time, fun can be put on hold for most of us. In our day, most fun is overrated as a life essential; it can wait.

Well, are you a good waiter? May God teach us all to wait when we should wait and hurry zealously when we should hurry zealously! May He also teach us to know the difference.

Some folks in some Mennonite congregations have a hard time accepting one or more of their leaders. They may question their leader's qualifications, or his call, or his motives. Therefore, they reject his leadership. That is wrong. Oh, those rare exceptions may exist, but don't assume yours is one of them.