The Reward in the Waiting

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew thy strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."
 Is. 40:31

Patience has become a lost art for many people, including myself depending on what I'm being called to be patient with.  Whether with people or situations, I am not always successful in depicting this virtue and taking the time to wait.

I call it being spoiled in my inability to exhibit patience.  We do have an instant society, for sure; but it is in the bountiful blessings-at least for me, that lies in the foundations of my resistance to waiting.  I admittedly have taken my God for granted far too many times, just believing I'm going to get my wants and needs exactly when I want and need it.  Then, I sometimes take it to another level and begin to become frustrated at the pace or lack thereof of the things or people I'm looking for.  I don't know about you, but sometimes, these frustrations take on a dramatic form of an unpleasant nature that really is down right ugly! 

There are other reasons though, that make waiting so tenuous for people.  Many of us do not like the tension; the un-comfortability it creates in us, particularly when we don't know what the end result will be.  We sometimes believe that certain things we shouldn't have to wait for, and for somethings like basic civil rights that is true.  And yet, we who are African Americans and other peoples of color are marginalized and treated differently here in the 21st century!  As an African American woman, I could ask 'How much longer do I have to wait?'

However, even in such important human rights matters, there is a reward in the waiting!  I have recently been in a season of waiting in several areas of my life and I cannot pretend that it was anything less than torturous!  Yet, when I stopped fighting the waiting, when I let go of control of the process that I hadn't even realized I was in the midst of, then I received many rewards--even without an apparent outcome in the midst of waiting.  

When I stopped fighting the waiting, I discovered some things about myself.  Beside being more controlling than I actually thought I was, I received the reward of surrender.  I had no alternative but to surrender my all: concerns, cares, anxieties and hopes to the Lord.  When I did, I was scared, but I got permission; I got room to rest in God's presence and care.  It is difficult for someone like myself, as a believer and as a minister to admit that I wasn't wholly surrendered to God, because I still held on to parts of my life that I felt that only I could handle properly.  This was ignorant, but admit it or not, we all have those tendencies.
Another reward in the waiting was the sweetness of depending on God.  Many of us are leaders in some way shape or form, but who doesn't like it when you have an assurance that someone greater than ourselves; who actually loves us will take the lead in your concerns and we can be confident that everything will be okay-no matter what the outcome?

So today, as I am still in that same period of waiting I mentioned earlier, am I any less impatient?  Sometimes; I find I that I do make more attempts to invoke patience in myself instead of allowing frustrations to grow.  But, I am now conscious to what God has for me in the space between expectation and outcome.  God is rich in rewards in the waiting!

A New Way to Plan for the New Year

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2nd Chronicles 7:14 NIV

As another year in the life came to a close for me, I like maybe countless others found myself reflecting on what was in the year 2014.  And like years past, it was a year like no other; it contained its share of good times, bad times, surprises, and losses.  Yes, these sort of events can be expected every year God allows us to continue to take breath, but it's the particulars of these events that make our lives interesting.

It was an exciting year for me as I've not known before!  It wasn't all just exciting in having a multitude of blessings come my way, though they did.  It was exciting in the not so great times as well.  I made wonderful discoveries that made me smile, but I also made shocking discoveries about myself that I wouldn't necessarily brag about in a public forum.  Yet, still exciting were these discoveries because I was blessed to experience first hand God's presence and movement in those not so joyous occasions.  Don't get me wrong, God has answered many a prayer in my life, but during a crisis of faith, God showed up and answered IMMEDIATELY!  It was what I needed at that time.

As I looked onto the sunrise of 2015, I was reminded to give reverence to whom reverence is due, to truly give in to renewal by understanding that I could not start anew without seeking the face of the One who would ensure that I would actually see 2015.

We are often cavalier about our hopes, plans, and dreams for each in-coming new year, but consider this, is it wise to shut out our Creator, when we have no real guarantee that we'll see it?  Who are we to enter in even another day without humbling ourselves and pray to the Author and Finisher of our faith for guidance on those very hopes, dreams, and desires? I can attest that God has shown me in my life that I need to be in open communication with Him every step of the way.  After all, God knows the future, He knows my future-why would I not humbly come before Him?  

Part of coming to God, is to come before Him in a humble manner; recognizing that on our own we are thoroughly unworthy.  Our first desire should be to repent, to seek God for forgiveness.  If we confess our sins to God, He can ALWAYS be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.  It's in the Word!  We ought not take this powerful promise lightly; if your life is feeling stagnant you may be in need of divine forgiveness!  

God promised that when we come correctly to Him in humility and repentance, God will be listening,  and we get forgiveness and healing!

It is an incredible feeling to know that God is listening; it's more than a hope, it's a guarantee!  It is an opportunity to have an intimate moment for renewal, restoration, and healing!  I don't know about you, but what better way to start the new year with each new day, than to humble ourselves, and seek the face of the God who holds our future!

Blessings!