the worth of waiting

It's the 15th anniversary of Heath's proposal of marriage. I read through my journals last weekend and read through our courtship (for lack of a better term). And I read about how I waited for him (that seemed like a life time) and I thought about just how much had changed since then.

So whether you are waiting for your mate or the direction you are to take next, don't despise this season of waiting- i'm sure theologians have book series on this topic, but this is just lil ole me trying to get these lessons pounded out so I don't forget them.

Here's the worth I have found in waiting:

1- reset: sometimes waiting is needed to hit the reset button, get priorities in order, figure out what you really want.

2- learn a lesson: this is one cliche that's true- maybe God wants you to wait to learn a lesson about Him or about yourself.

3- follow the steps: sometimes we have to wait so events line up for us to complete the task. Sometimes this leavs us disappointed and confused because doors get closed and God is silent.  But maybe God's on the other end getting people lined up to help you through to the task He's asked you to do.

So while your fingers are itchin' and your feet can't stay still and you've been called to wait, there's still plenty to do:

1- bloom where you are planted: has God asked you to teach a class at church? Donate to a soup kitchen? Volunteer at the Boys' and Girls' Club?

2- worship: taking time to worship gets the focus off of ourselves and recognizes what the Lord has already given to us and who He is to us.

3- fast: fasting from a meal or food item also refocuses our eyes on Him- fasting for me clears the spiritual cobwebs

4- read the Bible: again, refocuses your sights- reminds you Who is Lord.

5- obey: do what He is telling you to do when He says to do it- don't rush it (and fail because the other pieces aren't in place) and don't give up. Persistance pays off.

So hopefully you will find the worth in the waiting too and not give up!

I found God in my chicken salad

My husband loves my chicken salad.  It's on the ONE dish that he requests week after week.

And in our efforts to eat better and not eat out, I make a bowl of chicken salad a couple of times a week.  I even made a batch for him to take to Orlando to the Free Methodist conference so he wouldn't have to eat out so much.

So I finally got around to making a batch of chicken salad for myself for the rest of this week since I'm doing so well in not eating out- the boys are asleep and an old Shirley Temple movies is on (she's the star of the month on Turner Classic Movies).  So during the most mundane part of making the chicken salad (shredding the chicken), I started to sing to keep me going.  I started to sing "He is Jealous for Me."  I got to the "I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that He love me Oh! How He loves me!  Oh! How He loves me! Oh! How He loves!" [yeah, I change the pronoun there from "us" to "me"- try it when  you sing it the next time - takes on a whole new meaning]. So I've been going through a list of regrets lately and a list of would've, could've, should've-s... and in those moments, when disappointment or tragedy hit, my question to God was "so what's next?" or "how do I make that [whatever we were told to do] happen?"  We struggled for a long long time wondering HOW to make this thing happen.  And now that we are in the middle of it, I realized this over my chicken salad: IT WAS NEVER MY JOB TO FIGURE OUT THE how OF IT. GOD HAD THAT FIGURED OUT ALL ALONG.  BECAUSE HE WAS GOING TO DO IT THROUGH US.  The equipment, the money, the team, the projects- this path has been laid out all along... we just had to take the first step- okay actually more like a leap.  But how much time did I waste trying to figure out HOW to make it all happen?  Well, that's a rabbit hole I can't go down tonight....

I read through my old journals this weekend.  Reading over how Heath and I met and married- it seemed like it was all such a breeze- so obvious and everything just fell into place.  But I remember how HARD it was to WAIT for him- and how HARD it was to be 350 miles away from him while we were dating/courting/being friends/whatever you call it. But I've blinked and 15 years has passed and we have three beautiful boys and we are seeing our prayers being answered.

BUT... I NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER forget how awesome it was when Heath asked me to marry him and for all the struggle of these 14 years of marriage, I have seen the hand of the Lord in the land of the living.

And surely if He did this for me- His handmaiden Much-Afraid, surely He will do it for you.
so here's the revelation for tonight: whatever God's told you to do, don't let the HOW of it keep you from taking the first step.  He's already got that part figured out.