Hi Friends,
During this season we call The Advent, as we wait for our celebration of the Greatest Gift that has ever been given to mankind, let’s talk about waiting, shall we? Listen to this encouraging verse:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Ps 27:14 NIV
Wait! Who likes that?! Yet we humans do spend an awful lot of time waiting for one thing or another, don’t we? Whether we are waiting at a red light, waiting for a response about a job interview or waiting the arrival of our first child, waiting is part of life. Yet “waiting” is not a time of doing nothing. Waiting should be an opportunity to grow into the likeness of Christ. Waiting is supposed to help us become strong. It is supposed to increase our patience. It is supposed to help us gain Faith in God. Waiting is good for us…and the more we grow in Christ, the more we don’t have a problem with waiting.
Waiting requires patience. I can remember being in elementary school and getting a writing assignment about what I thought was my biggest weakness…and even then, I knew that impatience was the one! I tend to want it and want it yesterday…anyone else out there feel the same? Becoming patient, like Jesus, has been my greatest challenge in growing in Christ, but my greatest success too! You see, the more God commands me to wait, the more I can choose to trust Him, increasing my Faith in Him as I wait. I continue to learn that life is not about “me.” That God has a much greater plan than I could ever have imagined. That His Timing is much better than my impatient, gotta-have-it-now, timetable. Waiting is causing me to be more adaptable to situations around me so that, those situations, do not control the level of my peace and joy. My Faith in God does that, and the more I grow, the more steady my peace and joy become.
No, you have to wait. Let me give you a real life example just recently of how God is growing me in this area. Like everyone else on this planet, 2020 has been quite a year, to put it nicely! Both of my elderly parents were diagnosed with colon cancer this year. First my 90 year old Mom went through it like a champion! The surgery was quickly done. She didn’t require any other treatments. And within a month, she was back home, to herself as if nothing major had ever happened to her. Praise God! My Dad, however, is another story. Navigating his ordeal has been, and continues to be, one challenge after the next…and to be honest, it’s stretching me like never before! But stretching is good for us! It’s how we grow. So no, he’s not going through this quickly. No, the doctors treating him are not as “cooperative” as my Mom’s were. And no, I am not going through this as smoothly as I did with her trial. We are three months into my Dad’s trial and I am not seeing a light at the end of this very long tunnel. But this is what God is using to help me become more patient.
Wait, then wait some more. Let me explain my progress in patience over these last couple of months. So the first time I was presented with an obstacle, I reacted and reacted poorly. I was yelling and hysterical for two whole days before I returned to God and His Peace embraced me and brought me back to my senses again. The next time another unexpected hurdle presented itself, I was livid for half a day until I returned to God and laid the problem at His feet, trusting Him to help us. The next time an unwelcome obstruction came, I was downcast for a couple of hours, then I said, “Lord, it is what it is. I trust You,” and went about my day. Are you seeing it? Two whole days hysterical, down to half a day livid, then down to a couple of hours downcast…this is called progress. And this is how God grows us. The more we have to wait, the more unwanted challenges come into our lives, the stronger our Faith gets, and the less the problem controls us. This is the goal, to not allow outside circumstances steal our peace, kill our joy and destroy our witness. Steal, kill and destroy. That is the enemy’s agenda. (Jn 10:10) But the more we grow, being patient and waiting on the Lord, the less the enemy will win and the more success we will have in our lives.
Lord, help me wait. I still don’t like it, but I am learning to remain peaceful during the waiting and that is the whole point. It is not that we have to wait, but it is HOW we wait that either enhances our lives or drains them. The more I work with God, trusting Him no matter what, the more patient and peaceful and joyful I get. Want that? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
