life beyond the well…

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Empowered by the Wait

Waiting is not my specialty.  I can do it, but it’s not something that I’m great at.  I’m easily annoyed by stoplights that are longer than I think they should be.  I get frustrated when people take FOREVER in the check out line (are you REALLY writing a check?!?), and making me wait in the drive-through line is just sinister.  I just don’t like to wait.

Part of this is from our culture of immediacy, where we can get anything and everything that we need on our smartphones in about .5 seconds.  We can reheat dinner in 2 minutes thanks to a microwave.  I can “rent” a movie by just clicking an option with the remote, and within seconds it’s there.  It’s difficult to be good at something, (and even more difficult to like it) if I never have to do it.

A few weeks ago, my pastor was preaching about how the anointing changes us, but that also how part of how we are changed is through having to wait.  Learning to endure.  Developing patience and in some cases, long suffering.  There’s a perseverance that comes only from having to wait something out, or see a process through until the end.

I thought about this some more this morning, after having a conversation with Preacherman.  Usually our four-year old is okay with the time it takes for her Daddy to come get her from bed in the morning and she doesn’t call out for him to get her.  But this morning, our conversation was a little longer, and she called out to him.  I encouraged him to wait just a little longer, and not to move immediately, because we’re working on developing her patience.  He asked if I wanted him to wait until she called out again with more urgency (her “urgency” call outs are HILARIOUS, and we’re not abusing the child, we can totally distinguish between fake urgency and real urgency #justsaying).  I thought that would be a good idea (and a funny start to the morning).

As Preacherman got up, I began to think about how God makes us wait.  If you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw this stream of consciousness.  But here’s what I’ve learned about having to wait:

  1. When you call out to God and He doesn’t respond, it doesn’t mean that He’s not there or that He’s not listening.  Sometimes God waits to respond to us because he needs for something to develop IN us that can only happen through us having to wait.
  2. We have to remember to “let perseverance finish its’ perfect work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.“
  3. When we don’t immediately receive what we’ve been asking for, we appreciate it more.
  4. You learn how strong you are and how much willpower you have when you have to wait for something that has been promised.
  5. You gain the ability to see things from a totally different perspective when you don’t immediately receive what you’ve been believing for.

Even though we don’t LIKE to wait, there are advantages to it.  Oftentimes, we don’t pay attention to the advantages of waiting and instead become bitter by the process.  But if we allow it to happen, we can become empowered by the wait.  There are some things that I’ve been believing God for since I got saved nearly 10 years ago that have not yet come to pass.  But I’m still waiting and believing.  And I’m empowered because I’ve seen how God has worked in the lives of others, and how He has answered other prayers that I’ve had.  He is faithful and He ALWAYS keeps His promises.

“God is not human, that he should lie,not a human being, that he should change his mind.  Does he speak and then not act?  Does he promise and not fulfill?” – Numbers 23:19

Be encouraged!  Peace and Blessings!


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Be Aware

This past weekend, I was in Walmart picking up a few groceries.  I was exhausted after traveling to Carowinds with Preacherman’s school, attending a marriage seminar at my church, and going to a friend’s bridal shower.  I couldn’t wait to get home and just go to bed.

As I headed to check out, I detoured (not at all unusual for me in Walmart or Target) back to the produce section to look at celery.  I have been wanting celery to pack in my lunches as a healthy snack, but have been unable to find small prepackaged bags of celery.  I was hopeful that Walmart would have what I was looking for (if you can’t find it in Walmart, it may not exist), and sure enough, they had the exact item.

I checked the expiration date (which read 04/27/2013), and was all set to add it to my cart.  In my mind, I thought, “Man, those celery are gonna be fresh for a long time.”  I was just about to drop it in my cart, when I realized that the expiration date was actually a week prior.  My fatigue and my lack of awareness almost had me make a choice that could have been detrimental (slightly to my wallet, but moreso to my health).

I think we are all like that sometimes.  We can get so caught up in the doing of life, and get so into a routine (and so rundown from that routine) that we lose our sense of awareness.  When we lack awareness, we can make decisions that seem to be good on the surface, but could have detrimental effects.  Not only that, a lack of awareness can cause us to fail to recognize the goodness and blessings that surround us each day.

Let me encourage you to be aware- of the choices you make each day and their impact, of the blessings that surround you, and of your life and daily routine.  Be aware of ways that you can serve and assist others.  Be aware of your areas for growth, and seek tangible ways to improve.  Life is too short to be numbed from your busyness and your technology.  Imagine how much better our world/country/state/city/town/home would be if we each took the time to unplug and be aware.

My challenge to you: don’t let another day go by where you’re lacking awareness.  Find the good in each day, in each person, in each situation.  Search for the good, and be grateful for it.

Be encouraged!  Peace and Blessings!