Skip to main content

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Pure...

            The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5)   I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) I’m probably cheating - or mishandling the Bible, but earlier I was thinking about love being pure and purifying. And hatred being pure and purifying. And anger…joy…patience… fear… jealousy… courage…lust… and other strongly felt feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. Today’s verse brings purity and love together, so it’s the verse of the day, but it’s not really the focus. That means my motive for sharing it with you probably isn’t pure. As you read through my list, you   probably thought, “Yeah” about some, and “What’s she on?” about others. But consider how much hatred, a...
Post a Comment
Read more