I hate waiting so much.
I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.
And I’m waiting a lot right now.
I’m waiting to hear back on a lot of projects, a lot of queries and a lot of programs.
I’m waiting to hear back from editors and publishers and event planners and teachers and a whole host of other people.
And I hate it.
I swore I would never pray for patience, (I’ve seen what happens when friends pray for patience – I don’t want none of that.)
But here’s the thing – when you start refreshing your incoming e-mail every 60 seconds to see if anyone – anywhere – has sent you an e-mail, t’s time to take a different approach.
So, I’ve actually started to pray for patience. I’m praying boldly for what I think is in God’s will in each of these areas, but I’m also trying to leave it at His feet and not sneak back and snatch it up.
I’m working on remembering this:
Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
My job is to keep joyful, be patient and faithfully pray. That’s all I’ve got.
Hi! I just watched your video on the Marcus and Lisa show. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a must-share for you. My husband and I have been married for 27 years and are still very mushy!! Our children are all grown now, but when they were young I was a stay-at-home mom. We didn’t have 2 nickles to rub together so we had to be very creative with date night. We lived in the mountains of NC. In our yard was a great swing-bench with a fantastic view. Our entire family enjoyed sitting out there in the evenings after dinner, BUT, the kids knew that if Dad and Mom took a cup of coffee out there, we were on a date and nothing but blood could interrupt it!! They still remember that. And now that we are empty-nesters, I am so thankful that we had the foresight to invest in our relationship.
Thanks for the work you are doing for marriages,
Nan Jones
One day I realized that God is waiting too. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool. Creation is waiting for the saints to be revealed. The angels at the four corners of the earth are waiting… Waiting seems to be par for the course. There is a great plan that is unfolding one step at a time and no shortcuts will be taken. It helps me wait more patiently wihen I remind myself that I’m “waiting with” God instead of “waiting for” Him. The former fills me with an expectation of the wondrous things to come while the latter leads to unnecessary hand-wringing and foot-tapping on my part. The more often I “wait with” God the more I begin to see the world from His perspective.
Believe me, I hear you Kathi; I have struggled with the same frustrations in the past and have learned, through some pretty tough trials, to be “patient in affliction” and not lose the joy of being a child of God. He knows our needs before we ask and our likes and dislikes, of course. All things come together for good in His perfect timing. If only we had His Rolex! 🙂
Waiting is the WORST!!! I waited for 18 months for the Lord to find us a house and bless my husband with a job that would provide for our family. It was awful, but things are sooo wonderful now.
Just a hint for while you are waiting, that I am sure you have heard before. Go help someone else. Visit a nearby nursing home, take some of your yummy veggies to your neighbor, play with someone’s kids so she can check her e-mail….Time flies when you are in the service of your fellow man!
Prayers that you will find joy in his will for you!
Girl, I’m so right there with you! So many ideas, plans, writings and all I can do is wait on HIM. My hands are up and I have surrendered everything over to Him. I want His will to be done.
Let’s wait together! 🙂
Too funny! I think you should pamper yourself while you wait! Do something fun and let God do the rest 😉
You are not alone! It certainly is hard to wait when you are expecting good news! Your mind can run amuck, imagining all kinds of reasons why you haven’t had a response yet…praying for you, Kathi. One of my mother’s favorite verses that has helped me also is “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Expanding on what I said on fb…I might pray the I could focus better on the tasks for the day, or the people I am with, etc. instead of obsessing about the email. I find that when I try to i.d. what exactly it is, and pray for that (submitting to what God’s ideal for me is of course) that I feel more at peace.
As much as I hate waiting, it’s probably one of the most frequent tools God uses to teach me stuff. I’ve come to learn there are sweet things in the waiting. Praying for you, Kathi!
Whew. I feel for you. Waiting is SO hard. God has taught me a ton about waiting as I’ve had a chronic illness for 7 years now. Some of my favorite passages are “Blessed are those who wait for him” “Better a patient person than a warrior…” “Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord.” “Those who WAIT on the Lord will renew their strength.”
As you wait, He will bless you.