Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
- psalm 27:14
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways...
- psalm 37:7
I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.
- psalm 38:15
I don't know about you but I have a difficult time waiting for the better things in life. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely content with my home, car, clothes, job, etc. I'm talking about the things that don't come with a monetary price tag yet are so time-relative and tricky to interpret with certainty.
Tall tales in the schoolyard and the fantasy flicks in Hollywood lead you to assume that there is only one person that could ever be right for you. When in grad school, I doubted that assumption heavily. California girls are quite dreamy, btw. Having such independent women was something that didn't exist much in NE NC. I think that thinking was nothing more than a fad. FAD = for attention deficits, I believe.
However, the older I get the more I find out that the right one may not be an assumption but it may be a waiting game.
When you hear "waiting game" it doesn't sit too well, eh? The negative connotation of sulking it out until God dishes out is not appealing. I've never been good at praying and then waiting. Instead of waiting I would compare myself, and how I pursue the things I desire, to the shepherd in the parable of the lost sheep (check Luke 15). I can have all the things in the world but if there is something out there and it's within my reach and there's a cost, I'm gonna go for it.
I'll be humbled one way or another. I'll either learn that the one I'm pursuing is not what I thought it was or that I will humbled in what God has given me. Learning or giving God thanks; its a win-win.
However, I think too many people "sit and wait." There is definitely a time and place for that mindset, though. Prayer is not the least you can do, it should be the first thing ALWAYS. The opposite of the go-get-em mindset is to exclude that crucial first step (which I've done more often than not).
If you're gonna sit, might as well pray while you wait, right?
I want to make the "waiting game" fun for you as you read this. Think of it this way, when a team bows out early from a tournament one of the first things said is "next year." True. They'll have to wait, preserver to get back to the same situation, work harder, be tough, trust that you're time is coming. There is no sitting. Nowhere in any of those Psalms is the waiting game stationary throughout, there's only a pause at the beginning.
When the goal is clear, you go for it, relying on God who gave you the vision for what you wanted. And you know if its from Him if the communication is clear and the prayer is genuine.
So don't "sit and wait." Live life, take the chances, you'll only find out that you've missed out on something if you simply watch from a distance.
Live life and your faith out proactively. If our salvation is free then there will be many other things that many will strive for but few will find (things money can't buy). This weekend has assured me that sitting is dangerous and causes letdowns, pain and unfulfilled expectations. I could've sat back and trusted that God can do all things, therefore, I must do nothing. What faulty logic! In that case why doesn't God give the poor food and money? Oh yeah, that's because we have it all!
That's a whole other blog post, anyway...
Go after the one, especially if everything else is secure! If God is your refuge then what do you have to fear? I strive to run the race of life with God, taking his hand-offs as if doing a relay. I don't want to be on the sidelines saying "I wish." No more will I do that.
If you catch me doing so, slap me, you have my permission:)
