An Exercise in Patience

In America, someone who is sitting idle is generally seen as wasting time. We want to look busy and feel busy at all times, and if there is any down time, we fidget nervously, looking for something to occupy our attention while we wait. This is why magazines and newspapers are so popular at checkout lines. It would be a shame if someone had to sit in line for more than a few seconds without something constructive to do!

Well, here on Mercy Ships, while Wendy has been kept quite busy with surgeries, I (Eric) have had a few positions which included much waiting. My first week, I spent helping patients get from the clinic (which is on land a few miles from where the ship is docked) to the ship for their surgery, and then helping them get back to the clinic after their surgery. This task involved a lot of sitting and waiting. I would get to the clinic first thing in the morning, and I would spend my first hour waiting while patients had their pre-surgery examination. Then, once a van load was ready, I would help load them on the van, ride with them to the ship, help them get off the van, up the gangway, and to the eye room. Then I would go back with the van to get the next load.

Then I would wait some more - wait for patients to get done with their surgery. When they were done, I would help lead them from the eye room, off the ship, and on to the van to take them back to the clinic. Throughout all of this transporting of patients, there was a lot of down-time. But I wasn't the only one waiting - the patients also had to wait. While they sat patiently, snoozing, humming, or chatting with a neighbor, I figitted and fretted, looking for things to keep me busy.

At the end of the week, I mentioned to my supervisor that I had a lot of down time, and that I wondered if I could shift to a position on the ship where I would be kept more busy. My supervisor kindly agreed, and I was relieved. Finally I would feel useful. But this week has come, and I am on the ship, anxious to help people with various computer things, but not much work is coming my way. Perhaps God had a hand in this.

When I told some of the translators (from Benin) of my change in role, they asked why I was changing, and I said it was because I was spending a lot of time waiting. Their response surprised me a bit. They said ,"You were fulfilling an important role. You were helping the patients get to and from the ship." They didn't see any issue in having down time in the work day. It was just part of the job. As I reflected on this, I noticed that there were a number of important roles which involved a lot of waiting - the drivers shuttling patients back and forth from the ship; the security guards who stood at the gangway, directing traffic and responding to questions; the translators as they waited for their next task - all of these are very important and needed roles.

People here are totally unfased by having to wait. It's us from the West who are focused on efficiency and productivity. There is definitely a place for these, but I think God has used these past couple of weeks to teach me that I am not to derive my sense of self worth from how productive I am. He can get things done just fine without me. At times, instead of being busy, God wants us to sit back, be quiet, and wait. What I need to do is to seek to honor God in whatever position He has put me, which includes honoring Him in the manner that I wait during down time.

Disclaimer: We serve with Mercy Ships. Everything here, however, is our personal opinion and is not read or approved before it is posted. Opinions, conclusions and other information expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercy Ships.