"But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
Nothing says "WAIT" like the South-Dade Tag Agency. Every year around this time I go to renew my tags for my car and every year I expect to wait about two hours to go through the line. Now I know many of you are thinking- "you know you can do that online", or "you know you can renew for two years." I know all those things and never quite get around to doing them and in some ways I am a bit thankful for that.
This year started like most, driving to the tag agency, looking at all the people standing outside waiting in line, sitting in my car and trying to figure out another time to come back, justifying waiting one more day to get in done, and then finally hearing my mother, the insurance agents voice in my ear, "Audrey you can't get another ticket!" So I get out of the car and wait in line.
This year to my surprise I noticed a woman a few people ahead of me. She attended the church, became a member, and I even baptized her baby. I hadn't seen her all summer. We had a great conversation and I told her about the Spanish Service that just started back up.
After a lovely conversation and about an hour of waiting I finally got to the cashier to be told I had unpaid tolls and I couldn't renew my tag until it was taken care of. They gave me an 800 number to call, assured me I would wait on hold for another hour , and then I could wait another two hours for the fax to arrive. They let me know I could call in three hours when all things were sorted and I could check if they got the fax.Once that all ended I could come back in and I wouldn't have to wait in line to renew my registration.
Now, most would be embarrassed to share this story but about every other person in line had an unpaid toll was being told the same thing I was being told. Many of us stood outside trying to pay online sharing frustration, rolling eyes, and even laughed a little. Many left in anger, others gave up, but I pressed on. I paid but only needed the fax, so I pressed on pressing every option for help until the administrator answered the phone. Hearing the desperation in my voice he transferred me to another person who sent the fax in through a regular fax machine which took only five minutes. ALL DONE..MY WAIT WAS OVER....almost.
When I went back in the woman checked-in and said she didn't receive the fax and that the woman was probably wrong. So I decided to go run errands and wait for the fax only to get a call from the MDX Tolls administrator asking for another fax number because the one I gave her was wrong. So I gave it to her and she told me it should go through in five minutes. I went back to the tag agency and all the agents were astonished at how fast I managed to get the fax in. The woman behind the counter called me "blessed" even and said I must have some guardian angels watching over me
I thought to myself, that was all a bit dramatic, but then I paused my cynicism and thought for a moment about how I am "blessed". I was blessed to re-connect with a member from the church, I was blessed to connect with people (even in the means of eye-rolling) who I might never connect with otherwise, and I was blessed to even have a car to drive.
Although the wait was awful it was definitely worth it! In the waiting God renewed my strength in God, myself, and in humanity! This advent I pray that in waiting you too might look for the hidden opportunities to serve or simply use it as a time to pray or talk with God. Who knows what blessings you might encounter!
Prayer: Holy God in this season of advent as we wait for you may we not show partiality to which places we think you might show up. Help us to have eyes to see you in all our waiting and believe that you have a blessing also waiting for us!
This year started like most, driving to the tag agency, looking at all the people standing outside waiting in line, sitting in my car and trying to figure out another time to come back, justifying waiting one more day to get in done, and then finally hearing my mother, the insurance agents voice in my ear, "Audrey you can't get another ticket!" So I get out of the car and wait in line.
This year to my surprise I noticed a woman a few people ahead of me. She attended the church, became a member, and I even baptized her baby. I hadn't seen her all summer. We had a great conversation and I told her about the Spanish Service that just started back up.
After a lovely conversation and about an hour of waiting I finally got to the cashier to be told I had unpaid tolls and I couldn't renew my tag until it was taken care of. They gave me an 800 number to call, assured me I would wait on hold for another hour , and then I could wait another two hours for the fax to arrive. They let me know I could call in three hours when all things were sorted and I could check if they got the fax.Once that all ended I could come back in and I wouldn't have to wait in line to renew my registration.
Now, most would be embarrassed to share this story but about every other person in line had an unpaid toll was being told the same thing I was being told. Many of us stood outside trying to pay online sharing frustration, rolling eyes, and even laughed a little. Many left in anger, others gave up, but I pressed on. I paid but only needed the fax, so I pressed on pressing every option for help until the administrator answered the phone. Hearing the desperation in my voice he transferred me to another person who sent the fax in through a regular fax machine which took only five minutes. ALL DONE..MY WAIT WAS OVER....almost.
When I went back in the woman checked-in and said she didn't receive the fax and that the woman was probably wrong. So I decided to go run errands and wait for the fax only to get a call from the MDX Tolls administrator asking for another fax number because the one I gave her was wrong. So I gave it to her and she told me it should go through in five minutes. I went back to the tag agency and all the agents were astonished at how fast I managed to get the fax in. The woman behind the counter called me "blessed" even and said I must have some guardian angels watching over me
I thought to myself, that was all a bit dramatic, but then I paused my cynicism and thought for a moment about how I am "blessed". I was blessed to re-connect with a member from the church, I was blessed to connect with people (even in the means of eye-rolling) who I might never connect with otherwise, and I was blessed to even have a car to drive.
Although the wait was awful it was definitely worth it! In the waiting God renewed my strength in God, myself, and in humanity! This advent I pray that in waiting you too might look for the hidden opportunities to serve or simply use it as a time to pray or talk with God. Who knows what blessings you might encounter!
Prayer: Holy God in this season of advent as we wait for you may we not show partiality to which places we think you might show up. Help us to have eyes to see you in all our waiting and believe that you have a blessing also waiting for us!
