On Hold with the Lord

Maria V. Gallagher finds a way to grow closer to God when life is on hold.

It was one of those tasks that I find difficult to do — cancel a subscription to a digital publication. I had not realized that the amazing sign-on deal had ended, and I was stuck with a credit card payment larger than I had anticipated.

So I fumed a little to myself and sent an email to customer service. The representative politely informed me that I would have to place a call to end my subscription.

One of my visions of Purgatory is waiting on the phone for a customer service representative to pick up. The wait just seems interminable, and my frustrations rise quicker than a river at flood stage.

But this time, rather than fuss and fight, I decided to spend my wait time with God. I began to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet, and, lo and behold, my feelings of consternation disappeared. I felt at peace with myself, with God, and even with customer service bureaucracy.

By the time I decided to start a Rosary, a friendly customer service agent was on the line, ready to resolve my issue. Success! I resolved that, from there on out, whenever I started to hear Muzak on the phone, I would just start praying.

My experience got me to thinking. Maybe it is just my stage in life, but I feel as if life is on hold a fair amount of the time. I spend a great deal of time waiting for my prayers to be answered — especially one special intention that I have been praying for a total of 14 years.

Woman with glasses and cell phone at desk covered in paint brushes, art supplies, computer

It came to me that Christ is patiently waiting with me. While the waiting game can be difficult to play, it may in fact be necessary for drawing me closer to God. The Lord is, in fact, present in the waiting, although my worry-wearied vision is often clouded and I find it hard to discover Him.

In fact, the parts of my day that are spent waiting may, in fact, be cleverly disguised invitations to pray. Whether I am waiting in line at the car repair shop, waiting for the mail to arrive, or waiting for an expected call, God stands ready to converse.

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The Lord is, in fact, present in the waiting, although my worry-wearied vision is often clouded and I find it hard to discover Him. #catholicmom

Rather than dreading long waits, I can rejoice, knowing that they are opportunities to share my soul with the Almighty. What greater love than this, that the Lord would wait with me for the dye to adhere to my hair, or for the traffic to clear on my commute home, or for a longed-for family reunion to occur. It has been said that God is in the details, and God is definitely present in the waiting periods of my life, if only I would stop to look for Him.

God answers prayers — even the harried prayer of a mom waiting for a customer service representative to pick up her call. We don’t even have to press 1, 2, or 3 to connect with Christ. He is always on the prayer line, ready to listen — and answer — faster than you can say “all of our representatives are busy assisting other customers.” To God, it is as if you are the only customer in line.