Patience in the waiting
I am sure I've blogged on the subject of patience before, so this can perhaps go down as yet another entry. We enter into a season of life that seems to be going well, good things happening, and patience is farthest from our minds and not really an issue. Wham! Bam! Something of a challenge slaps us in the face, life hits us hard with a difficult season and we find ourselves faced with the necessity to be patient. Patience in the waiting, this "in-between-time", is not an easy thing for any one of us. We have a lot of questions for God, and it is inevitably out of a heart that is deeply wounded, perhaps betrayed, bitterly disappointed by what life has handed us thanks to man mishandling our circumstances. Now that is not to say everyone is to blame but me for what happened and for the result of how things went down. There is a part we all play in our present circumstances. Whatever occurred in the past, it is done, can't be changed or rewritten, and we must move forward. What is taking place in my present circumstances, well-that is something I have to coordinate rather delicately and weigh very carefully with respect for the ultimate plan of events orchestrated by a great and powerful God.
This past month I have been working at a faster pace in trying to square away our standing with finding a home. Whether we rent or purchase, that is the question but ultimately it matters most what God has purposed for us in terms of our physical dwelling space. It has been extremely exciting and stressful all at once--and this past week it all came to a spike especially on an emotional level. It didn't help that I was so intent on ensuring my first born had the most amazing, memorable and blessed 16th birthday celebration! I put a whole lot upon myself and now my body, my senses are in overload as a result!
The past 48 hours I believe the seams on my psyche have been splitting open a bit, some of my emotional overload and overkill has spilt over. I found myself searching the scripture, soaking up His Word, and digging into very informative articles on the subject of "patience in the waiting". I have been praying unceasingly, "God, You are God, You alone can handle it all, and I know You have my best in mind! I know I must let it go, and let You do a work in me!" I found comfort and necessary accountability in the words of family and friends, and last night came home with physical, visual reminders in my hands to display to set myself on course over the next two months for a lesson in patience. I plan to save this lesson to utilize every time I find myself in a season such as this.
Week 1: Wait, Trust and Pray!
Psalm 27:14
New Living Translation (NLT)
Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
Count Your Blessings! See what God has done!
I have this posted, bright and colorful on my closet door to view before I go to bed and when I rise in the morning. I read two articles this morning, excellent sources on the subject of "patience in the waiting".
An excerpt from the first article, "Continue in Patience" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2010 (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/continue-in-patience?lang=eng)
'... patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!
...eventually I learned that God’s promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and in His ways. Years later I could see clear evidence of the temporal blessings that come to those who obey the Word of Wisdom—in addition to the spiritual blessings that come immediately from obedience to any of God’s laws. Looking back, I know for sure that the promises of the Lord, if perhaps not always swift, are always certain.'
Interesting to consider most of us picture ourselves, in our moments that necessitate patience as sitting on our butts, looking up at God and going, "Okay, waiting on You, Lord." In fact, we are to be active in that state of patience, not idle, not unmoving. Even in our state of patience, we must continue to be active in our hope, our seeking out the desires of our hearts, a form of spiritual exercise! Bottom line, our efforts are not loss if in fact we are patiently enduring and our focus is intensely on Christ--His will be done. It may not come in our idea of the end result, but we can be certain it will come in God's time and as He intends for the end result to be.
An excerpt from the second article, "Practicing Patience When God Has You Waiting", by Barbara Erochina, (http://powertochange.com/experience/spiritual-growth/practicingpatience/)
'...Patience as listed in Galatians 5 is often called longsuffering. The original Greek word is makrothumio, meaning “long temper”. We are to keep a long and slow temper towards God, others and ourselves. This spiritual posture calls for grace. It is grace that compels us to trust God, grace that we can extend to others when they hurt us and grace to forgive ourselves when we stumble and fall.
...Standing patiently when we wait on the Lord does not mean being stuck at a standstill. Consider Ephesians 6 which instructs us to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then.” To hold ground by remaining obedient to the Lord while waiting is not passive. Note that the word stand is repeated three times. Patience is an act of the will to claim ground for the Kingdom of God, and is rewarded richly by Him. Revelations 3:10-11 tells us of God’s care for those who persevere through the battle.
Whether we feel we lack patience to wait on God, or to continue to love those that may be hard to love, we do in actuality have access to all the patience we need. We can trust God to give us the strength to bear our circumstances and instead use the time of waiting to grow in intimacy with the Lord.'
Imagine how patient God has been with us, with His people from the beginning of time! How can we not give Him the same respect in terms of patience? This is nearly mind blowing for me to consider when I look at my ability or inability to be patient. Thank goodness, as stubborn, selfish and utterly idiotic we can be that God has not chosen to wipe us off the face of the earth in the blink of an eye! We are so fortunate, so unworthy of the grace He has extended to us. We must humbly embrace this gift God has given us, and ask Him to strip away all pride so that we can truly be filled with the knowledge and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and then when that peace and rest fills our hearts and souls--extend that to others. When we choose to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can truly say there is joy in the midst of this "in-between time". I can't imagine and don't fully get the concept of enjoying patience but I am on a mission to do just that. Join me in this lesson. I will be blogging about it weekly as I go through this season.
Have a blessed day! Let me know your thoughts and experiences.
This past month I have been working at a faster pace in trying to square away our standing with finding a home. Whether we rent or purchase, that is the question but ultimately it matters most what God has purposed for us in terms of our physical dwelling space. It has been extremely exciting and stressful all at once--and this past week it all came to a spike especially on an emotional level. It didn't help that I was so intent on ensuring my first born had the most amazing, memorable and blessed 16th birthday celebration! I put a whole lot upon myself and now my body, my senses are in overload as a result!
The past 48 hours I believe the seams on my psyche have been splitting open a bit, some of my emotional overload and overkill has spilt over. I found myself searching the scripture, soaking up His Word, and digging into very informative articles on the subject of "patience in the waiting". I have been praying unceasingly, "God, You are God, You alone can handle it all, and I know You have my best in mind! I know I must let it go, and let You do a work in me!" I found comfort and necessary accountability in the words of family and friends, and last night came home with physical, visual reminders in my hands to display to set myself on course over the next two months for a lesson in patience. I plan to save this lesson to utilize every time I find myself in a season such as this.
Week 1: Wait, Trust and Pray!
Psalm 27:14
New Living Translation (NLT)
Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
Count Your Blessings! See what God has done!
I have this posted, bright and colorful on my closet door to view before I go to bed and when I rise in the morning. I read two articles this morning, excellent sources on the subject of "patience in the waiting".
An excerpt from the first article, "Continue in Patience" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2010 (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/continue-in-patience?lang=eng)
'... patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!
...eventually I learned that God’s promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and in His ways. Years later I could see clear evidence of the temporal blessings that come to those who obey the Word of Wisdom—in addition to the spiritual blessings that come immediately from obedience to any of God’s laws. Looking back, I know for sure that the promises of the Lord, if perhaps not always swift, are always certain.'
Interesting to consider most of us picture ourselves, in our moments that necessitate patience as sitting on our butts, looking up at God and going, "Okay, waiting on You, Lord." In fact, we are to be active in that state of patience, not idle, not unmoving. Even in our state of patience, we must continue to be active in our hope, our seeking out the desires of our hearts, a form of spiritual exercise! Bottom line, our efforts are not loss if in fact we are patiently enduring and our focus is intensely on Christ--His will be done. It may not come in our idea of the end result, but we can be certain it will come in God's time and as He intends for the end result to be.
An excerpt from the second article, "Practicing Patience When God Has You Waiting", by Barbara Erochina, (http://powertochange.com/experience/spiritual-growth/practicingpatience/)
'...Patience as listed in Galatians 5 is often called longsuffering. The original Greek word is makrothumio, meaning “long temper”. We are to keep a long and slow temper towards God, others and ourselves. This spiritual posture calls for grace. It is grace that compels us to trust God, grace that we can extend to others when they hurt us and grace to forgive ourselves when we stumble and fall.
...Standing patiently when we wait on the Lord does not mean being stuck at a standstill. Consider Ephesians 6 which instructs us to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then.” To hold ground by remaining obedient to the Lord while waiting is not passive. Note that the word stand is repeated three times. Patience is an act of the will to claim ground for the Kingdom of God, and is rewarded richly by Him. Revelations 3:10-11 tells us of God’s care for those who persevere through the battle.
Whether we feel we lack patience to wait on God, or to continue to love those that may be hard to love, we do in actuality have access to all the patience we need. We can trust God to give us the strength to bear our circumstances and instead use the time of waiting to grow in intimacy with the Lord.'
Imagine how patient God has been with us, with His people from the beginning of time! How can we not give Him the same respect in terms of patience? This is nearly mind blowing for me to consider when I look at my ability or inability to be patient. Thank goodness, as stubborn, selfish and utterly idiotic we can be that God has not chosen to wipe us off the face of the earth in the blink of an eye! We are so fortunate, so unworthy of the grace He has extended to us. We must humbly embrace this gift God has given us, and ask Him to strip away all pride so that we can truly be filled with the knowledge and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and then when that peace and rest fills our hearts and souls--extend that to others. When we choose to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can truly say there is joy in the midst of this "in-between time". I can't imagine and don't fully get the concept of enjoying patience but I am on a mission to do just that. Join me in this lesson. I will be blogging about it weekly as I go through this season.
Have a blessed day! Let me know your thoughts and experiences.
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