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Waiting


"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9) 

          This verse came to mind recently. I was whining because I am going through one of those times in which I'm not seeing any progress as a result of my "doing good." Life is both busier, and less busy than it seems. Dad is requiring more care, not a lot more, but he's less present and things make less sense to him. I'm trying to write and it's not as easy as some think it is. Right now, it feels as if I have to choose between losing my dream and losing my soul (which sounds like a great dilemma for a story.) I'm trying to eat more healthfully, but the scale keeps saying the same thing. There seems to be no end of the things that get in the way of exercising. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing with the house, the yard, any sort of ministry or my life. Even if I'm making progress, I can't tell.
          So, as I said, I was whining. I am whining. This verse doesn't mean much if everything's going well. It only works when you're weary or whining. It's a verse written for toddlers. It's also written for spiritual giants who take on 400 prophets of Baal in a "winner take all" spiritual brawl then run away whimpering because a woman threatens him (I Kings 18-19). It's for all of us who (feel the need to) whine. There's another verse that we should remember: 

Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31)
      The order is clear. When we are weary and whining, we need to wait for the Lord and as a result of that waiting, we will gain new strength and not grow weary.

But God doesn't tell us that this process is miraculous. It can be. Waiting can be a time of rest, or it can be a time of preparation in which God develops in us the strength we need. We may not be able to tell which.

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