I love Mo Willems. When I’m not sure which book to read to my students, I can always turn to his books for a good laugh.
When I ordered Waiting is Not Easy for the library, I expected a good read aloud.
I didn’t expect for God to speak to me all twelve times I read it.
See, Piggie and Gerald are best friends. Piggie has a surprise for Gerald, but Gerald has to wait. For the next twenty pages, they argue in the funny way only Mo Willems can write.
Gerald wants to give up.
Surely the surprise can’t be worth all that waiting. After all, he’s waited the whole day. It's growing dark, and the surprise still hasn't come.
I am Gerald.
I scream and holler when I have to wait. I don’t trust that what God has planned for me is good. I don’t believe that His plan will be worth weeks, months, and even years of waiting.
So I get impatient. I ask how long, and why, and myriad other questions.
But like Piggie is with Gerald, God is patient to remind me that His plans are amazing because they are for my good and His glory.
If I’ve trusted Him with my eternity, can’t I trust Him with my present?
I’ve got this book of a life, and I can either whine and moan about the wait, or I can enjoy the story, fully trusting God to write a beautiful ending.
I bought a copy of the book for my personal library. I have it out on my night stand, next to my Bible. It’s a reminder that even while I’m waiting, God is faithful to speak to me--even if it’s through a children’s picture book.
