Waiting on the Train: The Cost of Impatience

There I was again.

Sitting behind the wheel, my fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel, and my eyes watching those blinking red lights flash, while that familiar metallic clanging filled the silence in my truck. It was a train crossing, but yet another forced pause in an already busy day.

If you live anywhere near railroads, you know exactly what I’m talking about. These moments are universal experiences of frustration wrapped in resignation. We’ve all been there—stopped, stuck, and waiting. But the other day, as I watched cars pile up behind me, something hit me differently. I started noticing just how many people chose not to wait it out. They’d sigh, shake their heads, and quickly swing a U-turn, believing that a detour would save them precious minutes.

Almost without fail, the second they made the turn, the end of the train would roll through, the gates would lift, and the cars that waited patiently would move forward, clear and free. The irony wasn’t lost on me. In fact, it spoke louder than those clanging bells ever could.

The Temptation to Turn Around.

And yet, just like those cars turning around at the crossing, the moment we abandon waiting often becomes the exact moment the answers appear, the doors open, or clarity finally arrives. It’s uncanny, and a little painful, to realize how many opportunities I’ve probably missed simply because I couldn’t handle just a little more uncertainty, or just a little more patience. Maybe you have moments like that, too. Moments when you turned back, changed direction, or gave up, only to discover later that you were closer than you realized to something good. Sometimes the end of the train, the thing we’re waiting for, is just beyond our sight. We bail at precisely the wrong moment, because the cost of waiting feels heavier than the regret of turning away.

Why Waiting Feels Impossible.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: waiting is hard because it forces us to acknowledge that we’re not fully in control

When we wait, we come face-to-face with our own limitations. We’re forced to recognize that there’s a bigger plan unfolding, even one we don’t always understand or have a say in. In my faith journey, I’ve found that God uses waiting more intentionally than I ever imagined. He’s not cruelly holding things back. Instead, He’s wisely preparing something inside me that simply cannot be rushed. In waiting, God quietly confronts our impatience, gently exposing our doubts, fears, and fragile hopes. It’s not punishment. It’s refinement.

The Quiet Power of Spiritual Waiting

In Scripture, waiting is not a passive act but an active trust:

“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

Notice something? Waiting is where strength grows. It’s not weakness or a waste of time. It’s spiritual formation. I’m slowly learning this in my own life. The wait isn’t the delay of God’s promises; it’s the space in which He shapes me to hold those promises.

When God makes us wait, He’s inviting us to build something deeper:

• Patience in uncertainty.

• Faithfulness in silence.

• Character in obscurity.

We may think waiting is wasted time. But God sees waiting as preparation. It’s holy ground where our hearts are made ready for what’s next.

What the Train Teaches Us.

Perhaps the trains of life, like unanswered prayers, delayed dreams, and unmet expectations, aren’t obstacles at all. Maybe they’re signals from a loving Father, inviting us to pause, breathe, and reconsider the rush of our restless hearts. The next time you’re stopped at a crossing, literal or metaphorical, take a second to pause. Ask yourself why you’re tempted to turn back. Are you running from something uncomfortable? Are you afraid God won’t come through? And what if the train you’re waiting for is actually protecting you from something down the road? What if the delay is exactly what you need right now?

God is never in a hurry, but He’s always right on time.

The Strength to Stay.

There’s incredible strength in choosing to stay put when the world tells you to hurry, to hustle, to force your way forward.

Patience is courageous.

Trust is profound.

Waiting is wisdom.

If you’re currently in a season of waiting, let these words sink deep: You’re exactly where you need to be, even if it doesn’t feel that way right now. Trust the timing you can’t control. Believe that there’s more unfolding behind the scenes than you can see in this moment.

Final Thoughts: The Power of a Patient Heart

The next time those gates come down and the lights start flashing, instead of sighing or reaching for the gearshift, take a deep breath and remind yourself that waiting matters. Remember that the greatest transformations in life happen in those unplanned pauses. The answers we long for often show up the moment after we stop scrambling to control them.

Stay at the crossing a bit longer. Trust a little deeper. Believe with patience.

Because the end of the train—your breakthrough, your clarity, your peace—is closer than you think.

Wait it out.

It’ll be worth it.