“Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:25)

I was struck by this idea of “eagerly waiting” with “patience”. It almost seemed like a contradiction. Isn’t that practically the same thing as saying we wait “impatiently”? The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized how important the subtle difference is between the two.

It’s basically the difference between excitedly counting down the days until your wedding day, as opposed to getting grumpy about waiting in a long line.

Both involve waiting; both involve a desired goal.

The difference is joy.

How are you waiting?

This was a verse I went back to meditate on more as I reviewed what I’ve read over the last week. If you’re reading along with me through Romans, what passage provoked YOUR thinking this week?  I’d love for you to share in the comments!

P.S. See this original post for info about this photo challenge and more about this reading plan I’m using this summer for the book of Romans (and I’d love to have you join in!)!