1 Peter 1:23
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
God did not only wait for us, but he came down to meet us in the place where we are, the darkest place and put all of our sin upon him to say, " I love you".
John 3:16 (Amplified Bible)
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
"When God allowed my sorrow and pain to bring me to the cross, I quietly knelt in his presence. I could not ask the reason for my sorrow and suffering. There were no words before him. I met God who said that he loves me even to death. Heaven is closer to me now than ever before. My son's death connected me with the reality of death and sin, and led me closer to my only hope, Jesus Christ. Now, I have hope, not a wish, that I am forgiven and will see Jesus and my son some day at a beautiful place where there is no more pain, no more tears and no more fear."
'Hope' is not a wish, but a reality of the future, for which I am waiting with full of anticipation.