As the days rapidly countdown to Christmas Day, the waiting to celebrate is almost over. Soon gifts will be opened, meals shared, and memories created all around the world. For now, though, we wait. There’s something about that- the waiting- that seems to be a baked into all the things we love the most. It also happens to be a big part of the things we dread the most. Why does God make us wait? What do we have to endure pain, suffering, and darkness? There may be a lot of reasons God chooses to work this way that will never know, but we do know one reason why- joy. Whatever else waiting does to us, in the end, it is often the most important tool God uses to increase our joy- and there are no shortcuts.