I had a dream last night about waiting in line at McDonald’s. I don’t remember much about it except, when I finally got to the counter, instead of receiving the soda I had ordered, I was given a less-than-half-filled cup of coffee. I didn’t realize this until I’d already walked away, so I had to wait in line all over again.

While the dream had been relatively uneventful, it reminded me of other experiences I’ve had waiting in line. I thought of waiting in line at Walmart, waiting in line at the drive-through, waiting for lunch as a grade-schooler, and for meals at Bible camp.

Waiting in line at camp was always tedious, but the counselors made it more fun by leading us in songs. When I reached my final years of high school and became a camp kitchen staff member, my favorite part of the job was serving the food. Everyone was smiling and in good spirits when they finally reached the kitchen, and I loved smiling back at them and cracking jokes as I plopped pizza onto their trays and offered cookies.

One time, I remember my fellow server encouraging the last person in line with a Bible verse: “The last shall be first and the first last” (Matthew 20:16). She’d quoted it with a nod that made her short spiral curls bounce about her face.

I loved being immersed in the Word at camp. We were always quoting verses, singing verses. The first verse I remember learning in song form was Micah 6:8. We sang, “He has shown thee, oh man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee. But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” We sang it with echoes, and I remember feeling warm and toasty when we sang it in the dimly-lit chapel. I also remember it taking a few times of singing it before I realized we weren’t singing “old man” but “oh man.”

Speaking of old men, I encountered one when I was in the pharmacy pick-up line the other day. I felt the Lord whisper, “Let him go in front of you.” I wanted to, but I had a squirmy 22-month old boy in my arms who was ready to hit the ground running the minute I loosed my grasp, as well as a four-year-old who had left my sight to spy out toys. I silently weighed the old man’s situation against my own and decided it would be best for me to get to the counter first. There was also another woman behind him, and I figured she may not think it was fair if I let him in front of me, but not her. And so, feeling a tinge of guilt but also telling myself I was making a fair decision, I maintained my rightful place.

Since that incident, it’s occurred to me that waiting in line is a good context to put Micah 6:8 into practice because it gives us the opportunity to trust God for His definition of what’s fair and just, instead of our own. This comes into play especially when we’re miffed because somebody cut in front of us or someone behind us rushed to the next available check-out lane when preference should’ve been given to us. Waiting in line also gives us plenty of opportunities to show mercy— to “look out not only for our own interests, but for the interests of others,” (Philippians 2:4) and to walk humbly as we come to terms with the fact that we’re no more deserving of reaching the goal any faster than anyone else.

I remember spending a lot of time on the treadmill in college. I’d set my jaw in determination and think about running the race of faith as Shane and Shane’s “Psalm 13” played in my headphones. There was something about running in place as I listened to them croon, “I will wait on You” that helped quell the impatience I felt with achieving the dreams God had placed in my heart.

Oftentimes in life, I feel like I’m stuck on a treadmill on a busy highway. I feel like the purposes God has for me are constantly being bogged down by daily duties and the fatigue that comes with parenting. Facebook makes me feel like I’m being left in the dust, with everyone’s progress reports and personal victories zooming past in a steady stream as I sit woodenly at the kitchen table, my eyes glazing over as I glance around at the monotony of homemaking and motherhood –from strewn laundry to dishes to the fridge that needs refilling.

Really, though, I think we’re all waiting in line in life—waiting for unreached goals to come to fruition, yes, but ultimately, we’re all waiting for the day when we’ll come face-to-face with God. And how we wait is up to us. We get to decide whether we’ll allow the deferment of our dreams in order to “serve and not be served” (Matthew 20:28) and whether we’ll not only take the time to “stop and smell the roses” but to also stop and give the rose to someone else. We get to choose whether we’ll trust the God who has the power to “put down one and raise another” (Psalm 75:7) and whether we’ll believe Him when He says His purposes “will not be overdue a single day” (Habakkuk 2:3).

I want to be like those described in Hebrews 11 who, “having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,” (verse 39) but never gave up as long as they lived because they believed that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (verse 6).

And I pray that I’ll continue this humble walk until I find myself a wooly-haired old woman waiting in line at the pharmacy, and that even then, I’ll have the faith to let another go first.