 We live in a society that is very get what we want, when we want it. In the times of overnight shipping, speedy checkout lines, and rapid internet, it seems that we don’t have to wait.. not like we used to. I remember growing up with dial-up internet. Sitting there waiting for it to dial up was the absolute worst thing ever. Now, if we had to do that, there’s no way any of us would have the patience after having experience with Wi-Fi and high-speed internet. We always hear the phrase patience is a virtue, but how often are we required to truly wait for something? There are people that say waiting for something makes it that much better whenever you do get whatever it is you are waiting for. We can all be impatient. We can get frustrated when things don’t work out the way we were hoping, when we don’t have our lives put together, when we got what we wanted but it might not be the right fit in the end. We can always hope and pray for something, but sometimes that isn’t always what’s best for us, and God isn’t afraid to disappoint us in that way. He’ll lead us down the path that we’re meant to go down, and sometimes, we might be down at times, but in the end, His plan for us is SO much better than the imaginary scene that we had envisioned. In the past year, I’ve learned to practice patience, time after time. I have a little journal and I found something I’d wrote last July.. let me say that again, LAST July.. July 2015. I’d read this article online about characteristics of the type of person that you’d want to spend your life with. I obviously thought it was a good article because I ended up writing out the ten or so “non-negotiables,” but then I went on to add some other things that I thought were important to me for a man to have. I know I’d been praying for my future husband much longer than that, but even just seeing this from last year and knowing that I went an entire year after that without even going on a single date. I might have been pickier, but that’s only because I knew that the next person I dated, I wanted to see myself being with for a long time (and okay, probably marrying). Well, I traveled around a lot and then I finally landed in one spot up in Michigan for 4 months. I’d prayed and prayed for something there to work out with someone, but after about two months I finally realized that what I’d been praying for wasn’t happening so there must be a reason for that. So, I worked and spent time with my family and friends and prayed some more about it. It wasn’t always easy. There were times I’d get so lonely and I’d see happy couples everywhere, and that’s never fun. It was just when I was about to move back home that God decided the timing was right to bless my life with the most amazing man. And what do you know? He matches everything on my list and so much more than I could have ever dreamed of. It hasn’t been an easy year and a half being alone, but in that time I learned so much about myself, who I am, and who I am in Christ. That no matter what, I’m never alone, and that in one moment, God loves me more than any other person could love me in a lifetime. And the same games for you. You might be going through some hard times, but remember.. You’re not alone and you can find strength from above. He’s an anchor for our souls, and in the eye of every storm, he remains in control. I’m obsessed with the song Eye of the Storm, and it’s had so much relevancy to my life lately. When my car died on the interstate and I had my nieces in the backseat, I was sent that reminder. Patience was tried, but trust and peace in Him won. The past two weeks, when I’ve suffered with a fever for over two weeks, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, taken multiple trips to get blood drawn and visiting the doctors office at least once or twice a week. Learning that cat scratch fever is indeed a real thing and not just a song, and that you don’t even have to touch the dumb cats to get it. There’s been a few days when my fever has gotten down to 99 and it’s a small victory, but then last night it was 101 and I instantly felt defeated again. Though it was down by bedtime, my patience has been dwindling. The doctor talked to me about my medicine and how giving me more wouldn’t speed it up, that I just have to hold on and trust God and wait for it to work its way out of my system. It’s literally laying around on the couch and waiting. Waiting for the day when I feel like eating more than one meal a day, when I can get up and not feel like I’m drained and wanting to sleep all the time. It’s been hard, there’s probably been actual tears cried because it gets tiring feeling like this and not being able to live. But, I know that things could be way worse, and there are so many out there that have to live with worse every day. It’s taught me patience, and it’s given me time to read my Bible and devotions and find words of encouragement, strength, and peace. It’s reminded me to reflect on how precious life is and to not take it or the people in it for granted. So in a time when we usually get what we want, right at our request, how are we going to react when we have to wait and solely trust in God’s timing. It might not be ours, but it will always work out in His. It might be a day or two after we were hoping, or it might be a month or year or 5 years. While you’re waiting, remember that what He has planned is far greater than what we dream up for ourselves. What we're praying for might not be what we should be praying for, but what we think we need, without taking a look at what God probably wants for us. Here’s a few verses for you if you need a little encouragement to keep getting through something. Just remember, you’re never alone. Look around you, and most importantly, look up.
0 Comments
|
Archives
January 2022
|
