Wait Here for the Present

Puns--Sometimes considered the lowest form of humor, they can often be pretty profound.  I find myself punning whenever possible.  Tonight I was struck by the phrase "Wait here for the present".  Sounds Biblical, doesn't it?  But actually, that line was written by Beverly Cleary who wrote the Ramona the Pest kid series.

In one story, Ramona is going to school for the first time as a "big kid".  She adores her new teacher, Miss Binney, and is willing to do whatever she says.  When Miss Binney is assigning initial seating, she parks Ramona at a desk and admonishes her to "wait here for the present".  As a first-grader, Ramona believes that she is the teacher's new favorite, because she's going to get a present!  The day drags on, and Miss Binney is perplexed when she sends the kids out to recess because Ramona won't budge--her legs are locked to the desk until she gets her gift.  When the confusion comes out, Miss Binney stumbles her way through making Ramona understand that "the present" also means "for now".  Ramona is crestfallen, and joins the painful ranks of all the kids and adults who learn things aren't what they seem.

In an earlier time, the disciples were told by Jesus to "wait for the promised Holy Spirit".  They had the same tenacity in prayer and sense of expectation that Ramona had, but in their case, the promise was fulfilled.  The Holy Spirit of God swept in like a wind, flaming tongues of fire lit above their heads, and they all were filled with the Spirit and spoke in other languages as the Holy Spirit enabled them.  The present they received was not just for them, but for everyone who received it. 

"The present"--now.  I wonder, is the "present-now" really our gift?  Is the "waiting" really just abiding in another form?  Should I simply abide?  And how do I do that more fully?  It seems, like the disciples, that I must press in, must tarry for the good, and when it comes, embrace it fully; be fully engaged in the present-now, and wait with expectation for the gift.  Yes, I have had my bitter disappointments and confusion like Ramona, but I know that my present here-and-now is good because God is in it.  Just like He brought the Holy Spirit to the needy world, He will bring to me the gift, the present that I need for myself and others. And when it comes, Watch out!  It's gonna be quite a surprise.