This past weekend, my mom and I made the trek to the thriving metropolis of Alamosa. We frequented Chili's and Walmart, naturally, and spent the rest of the time thinking of all the ways we can celebrate my dad and his homecoming.
I am thinking handmade floats and peppy cheerleaders are in order.
SIDE NOTE: I was actually a cheerleader in my younger years. No, not in high school, but in elementary school. This was the mid-80's and I was rocking ginormous perm hair. And I was awesome.
But, I digress.
Back to my dad...
As of today, we are still waiting on the paperwork to go through so he can come home. I have no idea why it is taking this long. If they need help collating, I am your girl. If they need someone to hit the "send" button, I am your girl. If they need someone to show up with brass knuckles and fierce ninja moves, again, I am your girl.
People, it is just paperwork! GET ON IT.
In the meantime, we are waiting.
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
And just so you know, I am typically not a fan of waiting.
This summer, I have dedicated much of my reading to the book of Psalms. If there was ever a book that spanned the range of human emotion, the Psalms would be it. Those verses often say everything I wish I could but do not quite know how to put into words.
While reading through Psalm 27 a few weeks back, verse 14 particularly stood out. It says:
"Wait for the Lord. Be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord."
I read it and re-read it. And it struck me that this is how God asks us to wait. He is actually giving us instructions on how to do it! Now, to be clear, it doesn't say:
"Wait for the Lord. Eat brownies, watch TV, and wait for the Lord."
(I have tried this. I had to buy new Spanx.)
Or...
"Wait for the Lord. Do nothing, expect everything, and wait for the Lord."
(I have tried this as well. Apparently God is not a fan of laziness or entitlement.)
Or...
"Wait for the Lord. Freak out, continue to worry, and wait for the Lord."
(I have done this. Often. It's causes pimples in your thirties. Not a good look)
Or, my personal favorite...
"Wait for the Lord. Trust God only a little by taking matters into your own hands, and wait for the Lord."
(I would get a gold medal if this were an Olympic event.)
I realized that waiting takes a lot of work. It takes constant devotion and dependence on God handling and working out a situation. It takes strength of mind and heart. It takes complete self control in not letting yourself become a total basketcase. It means you wait on God even if everything around you tells you to act. It means you do not give up, you do not give in, you do not let your mind wander for one second on all the "what-ifs" and "why can't I just do this?"
It means you do not move and you continue to trust while you watch God work His unbelievable plan out in front of you.
Well, good gravy.
That's refreshing. And applicable.
I believe that sometimes God has us wait just so we can learn to wait well.
So, that is what I am doing. That is what my entire family is doing. We are waiting...and working really hard at it.
I made myself a goal or reading the bible all the way through and was tempted to skip the psalms because its that natural mid-point that the bible always opens too so I've read a lot of it before, plus its in all the songs in church so surely there'd be nothing new. But I'm well glad I did persist, it was a refreshing book. Most of all I liked that it did remind me of the songs in church and many times I left my fortress of bible reading solitude humming or singing some worship song or other.
ReplyDeleteRefreshing, indeed. Who knew?
DeleteFunny how things come along just at the time you need to hear them. Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteYou are so very welcome. :)
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