Don’t Despise The Wait
In my life, I don’t have any real enemies, but if there is one intangible thing that I always seem to be fighting against, it’s TIME. It robs me when I need him most. It turns little cares into big concerns when it hurries on and I still have no answer. Every tick-tick it takes me one step closer to “never getting all this done.”
I remember a time in my life when TIME was particularly frustrating. TIME ticked away on a house that we really needed to sell. TIME meant money, as we paid a house payment for an empty house. It meant being unsettled because over half of our stuff was in storage as we rented in our new location.
Don’t Despise The Wait
Of course, even though I’d like to place a dark cape and a mask on TIME, that’s not where the problem is. TIME … and the ticking down of it … isn’t something I need to fight against. Instead, as God’s been revealing to me lately, TIME is a tool in His hand that is used to reveal what is really in my heart. Mostly, misplaced security.
I remember being frustrated because our house hadn’t sold in the TIME I wanted it to, and God showed me my lack of trust in Him … and my dependance on things of this world. He showed me that I look to homeownership as success and security. He pointed out my false heart-belief that when we bought a new home in our new location, only then we’d “arrived.”
God opened my eyes to this by leading me to Psalm 30:15. “My times are in your hands,” David said. God is in control of TIME. Of all the events that seem to take way too long. I needed to hear that.
Some lessons can only be learned over time … and discovering the truth that is in my heart is one of them. If our house had sold right away, and we’d moved into a nice place in our new city, I never would have realized how much trust I’m placing in things more than God.
God has also reminded me lately that He lives outside of TIME. What seems to take forever in my eyes is just a blink of an eye to Him. TIME may feel like it’s throwing me punches, but instead, it’s a tool that God’s using to mold and shape me.
So even though the clock is still ticking, I’m realizing more and more that God can be trusted all TIMES. He’s my security. And TIME isn’t an enemy when its in God’s hands. TIME is a tool.
Lord, mold me through the tick, tick, tock.
Don’t Despise The Wait
Steps You Can Take
- When you catch yourself getting impatient, ask yourself “Why?”
- Pinpoint what is at the root of your frustration with time. Is it money, the unknown, insecurity, lack of faith?
- Surrender your requests to God, knowing he is in control of time.
- Wait patiently for God’s time, remembering to look for what God is teaching you.
Daily Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I like to be in control and know what is going to happen next. Help me release that control to you and trust your perfect timing. May I catch myself in those moments when I start whining and complaining when it comes to waiting. Instead, help me take a deeper look at what you are teaching me. Continue to mold me and shape me into the person you made me to be … no matter how long that takes!
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Don’t Despise (Or Grumble during) The Wait
One thing I found when we decided to go grumble free for a whole year ( I know!) was that I hate waiting. It makes me grumbly and discontent when I have to wait for my kids to obey or my husband to attend to my needs.
But what I’m really saying in my heart to God when I grumble is, “Lord I don’t trust you to provide for my needs in your timing.”
OUCH!
As hard as that is to say, it’s the truth. An ungrateful spirit is really just revealing the condition of our hearts and it’s a lightbulb moment that can alert us to some real discrepancies between what say we believe and what we are doing. Facing this reality can be hard. But only when we see ourselves as we truly are will we be motivated to change. And changing for the better is what we want, after all.
The Word says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)
Lets not just be hearers of the word, let’s be doers. And we can learn to do it with a grateful and thankful heart! That’s exactly what we learned during our Grumble Free Year. A year that wasn’t always easy…but it stretched us and grew us as a family and healed us in a million ways.
Are you ready to go Grumble Free? Join us on the journey we took through our Grumble Free Year here:
www.thegrumblefreeyear.com
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