I love to make homemade pancakes. I have a well used recipe I alter to fit our family's pantry for that week. There is just one problem with pancake morning - my youngest screams and cries once he realizes what I'm making, that is until the hot and fluffy cakes hit the table. Now, this can be chalked up to "terrible two" behavior. It can be boiled down to our little man being our biggest eater, especially at breakfast. The reality is: he isn't patient. He knows what is coming and doesn't want to wait. Somehow he decided the best way to handle the wait was to throw a fit. It sounds childish, right? Scream and cry until we get what we want? I do it. I do it with God.
There is nothing more difficult for me than to wait patiently on what God has for me. Seems silly, but when I'm honest, I am often just like a toddler in those times which require patience for what comes next. It doesn't look like a two year old tantrum, but I procrastinate, whine as I pray, lose sight of the daily missions set out for me, and get lost in mundane and unimportant details. Before I know it, I'm a mess of insecurity and doubt, all from losing focus. Colossians 1:11 says "We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience {emphasis mine} you need..." Notice it doesn't say that if I lose focus God will just give me what I'm waiting for. Let's face it, as with the pancakes, giving the "good thing" too soon could be detrimental (raw egg) or not as sweet as when it is truly ready. What scripture tells us is God will give us the ability to be strengthened by His power. That isn't strength of our own making. We've already established what trying to do things in my own strength leads to: a mess! Colossians 1:11-12 goes on to say, "May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light." When we focus on God and what He has given us (be thankful) and live lives of joy while we wait (with patience and endurance) there is something great waiting (an inheritance). This goes for our own path in our God given calling and everyday life. If we can take joy in the moment and truly find a thankful heart for our current place, in the right time the Holy Spirit will reveal what we've been waiting for.
Does that mean it is easy? No, there is nothing more frustrating than waiting, but I know if I listen for God, instead of what I'm waiting for, I am able to reach out to others in my meantime. I can be a blessing while I'm waiting to be blessed. If I take the time to be thankful, I am so content with what I already have the next best thing is no longer tugging at my thoughts and creating a negative discontent. It seems so easy when I write it, but much harder to live it. I pray today that we can find patience and endurance by bringing all of the "meantime" worries and frustrations to God, asking Him to turn our minds to all the things we have to be thankful for and help establish real joy as we wait for His next steps in our lives.
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