Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame once said, “The problem with instant gratification is that it takes too long.” That is a modern sentiment because what we want we want right now. But the most important things in life take time: a child growing in the womb, a seed planted in the ground, a broken bone knitting together. You can rush them. Simeon and Anna demonstrate that is true in the spiritual life as well. Waiting for decades to have the revelation of God was necessary for the revelation. We see that taking time is factored into the plan of God in the world. Jesus “had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way” according to the epistle. That meant that “the child grew and became strong.” Jesus on the most important mission in history, the salvation of the world, needed to take the time to grow. We should not be surprised, therefore, that our spiritual life takes time as well. We would love to have God come to us when we ask. But the divine plan requires that we wait on the Lord, maybe even for 84 years!, for the right moment for God to bestow upon us the blessing that we require.
