I clearly remember the anticipation of Christmas morning as a little girl. Having made my desires known to all, I could hardly get to sleep on Christmas Eve. And usually, at some point during the earliest hours of Christmas Day, I’d tiptoe into our family room, not daring to turn on a light and be discovered. I was trying to get a peak to determine if my dreams had come true. The problem was, with three siblings who each had dreams of their own, it was very difficult to distinguish one gift from another in the dark. And it was often quite comical to see in the light of Christmas day just how off I’d been.
As a family, we’ve laughed about my antics. My siblings have never confessed to doing the same thing, claiming they always waited until morning. Waiting with patience for the things I hope for has definitely been something the Lord has grown and refined in me over the years. And waiting patiently with hope for God’s promises to be fulfilled, as the above scripture speaks of, can sometimes last a lifetime.