As a speech language pathologist, I have learned that one of the most powerful strategies for encouraging communication, is also one of the simplest.  That is, in theory, it's one of the simplest.  In reality, it is one of the hardest strategies to implement.  It requires discipline, self-control, and the ability to tolerate just a little bit of discomfort.  It is one of those things that we often don't think about because it seems too easy.  It is simply this--wait.  That's it, just wait.  Offer a comment, question, choice, or thought, and then wait.  Don't attempt to fill the silence with prattle, or try and play a guessing game to get at the other person's thoughts.  Just wait.  Make eye contact, lean forward a bit, and wait for what the other person has to say.

It almost seems like a cop-out, doesn't it?  Like just doing nothing.  But waiting, and waiting expectantly, can be so powerful.  It can give the child who has trouble with comprehension time to figure out what you have just said, and formulate a response.  Waiting could give the adult who has had a stroke and may have trouble finding words the time he or she knows to come up with a name.  It can take the pressure off of someone who may have trouble speaking fluently.  And even if it accomplishes none of these things, waiting will let the person you are communicating with know that you have the time to figure out what he or she wants to say.

I find that I am not as good about applying this concept at home as I am at work.  But when I do just wait, that's when things really seem to happen.  If I wait, my four-year-old is able to get his own socks and shoes on.  If I can just keep myself from taking those shoes out of his hands to get it done quicker, he will learn.

If I wait, my six-year-old really can write that thank you note all by himself.  He can even sound out the word reasonably well, if I just wait and let him.

And my two-year-old is perfectly capable of figuring out the stairs, if I wait and let her, instead of scooping her up and getting where I'm going.

If I wait when I am talking with them, they actually talk.  They tell me things they think are funny or things they find sad, or they just point out the things they notice around them.  Either way, waiting is saying, "I'm here, and I'm listening."

I have to admit, waiting is a real struggle for me.  Who has time to wait?  I have kids to teach and take care of, dinner to cook, a house to clean, gardens to weed, a dog to walk, and somewhere in there I'm supposed to actually eat and sleep.  And yet, in the Bible, God tells us:

31 But those who wait on 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.

Wouldn't it be nice to not feel weary?  Like we've been running our race, and not be at all tired.  And in this verse, God tells us the key to that is waiting.  Waiting on the Lord's timing, waiting on his will, waiting on Him.  And He'll give me the energy and the strength to do what He has for me.  It is such a simple concept, and one that is so hard for me to carry out.  

So, my challenge for this week is to practice waiting, and waiting expectantly.  Wait a little longer for that child I'm working with, stop and wait for my kids and not spoil the moment, wait and discern what God has for me so that my strength is renewed instead of feeling like I couldn't possibly do another thing.  Because I have been learning that when I wait, things happen.