keys.

Waiting rooms are often a place of discomfort.  The simple thought of placing life on hold, only to step into a four-walled environment, for an unspecified period of time, will cause an adventurous leader to shudder.  Dreamers and visionary leaders set out on a path with a perceived end-goal.  Imagine watching a night football game where the team with possession is within feet of the win and the entire stadium loses power.  No one is injured, but the game is forced into an indefinite commercial break.

For years, I envisioned what many have labeled the “waiting rooms” of life as the lobby of a doctor’s office.  Once the local news playing on the corner television loses its appeal, the only available magazines are issues of Women’s Day, Highlights, and Ranger Rick from 1997.  Eventually, taking a stroll to the front desk to inquire about the wait time proves to be a disappointment as, “It shouldn’t be much longer now,” is the response that has been on loop since the day the office opened its doors.

While pouring out my heart to a dear friend over lunch last week, she gracefully mentioned that it is difficult for Primary Leaders to be in waiting rooms.  I couldn’t agree more.  Waiting has never been my forte.  Compulsive purchases have resulted in a few instances of Buyer’s Remorse, I find myself rephrasing ideas if my listener doesn’t grasp the concept immediately, and I am frustrated when my plans are derailed.  These are all examples of emotional immaturity that I have learned to identify.  I would like to believe that I am becoming more disciplined in my response.

At approximately 10:30 this morning, my personal illustration of life’s waiting rooms faced an extreme makeover.  For far too long, I have mistaken a training room for a stale and outdated lobby.  The elements of a fitness center provide an excellent image of the place we find ourselves when the pause button is unwelcome:

Weights :  Without resistance it is impossible to gain strength.

Treadmills :  Even though the rotation of the belt feels monotonous, the end result is increased endurance.

Balance Boards : Balance is achieved by willfully spending time on an unstable surface where there is a safe place to land. 

Mirrors and Scales : A true reflection exposes the fruit of the process, which is noted through an accurate measurement.

Spending time in a training room that challenges the mind, will, and emotions versus the body.  The individual is then able to emerge more mature, better equipped, strong, balanced, sharp, and confident.  While it would seem that developing a narrow focus would render a leader paralyzed to execute beyond the walls of the gymnasium, when the landscape is once again revealed, every distraction fades to grey and the goal shines brightly on the horizon.

The anxiety associated with the waiting room leads me to fumble through my key ring of strategies in search of an escape.  By attempting to force a change by planning the perfect route or, sitting in complacency, hoping that someone will come to the rescue, it is as though each response is a key that fits the keyhole, but fails when put in motion.  While expressing gratitude toward his audience in Philippians 4, Paul explained his “ah ha moment” when he discovered the key that not only fits perfectly, but opens the lock every time:  “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  Philippians 4:11-12 (NIV)

From this day forward, I intend to spend time in the transformed training room, knowing that I too, hold a key that will open the exit door at the appointed time.  I refuse to allow this opportunity to be wasted, but instead expect a return on investment!