My friend (who also happens to be our church's youth minister) preached about this a few weeks ago, calling this the meantime. Of all his comments that day, what has stuck with the me most is that the meantime happens to everyone, and the meantime isn't a bad thing. It's just a waiting thing.
Cue this morning, when I opened up my devotional and saw the following quote:
Second only to suffering, waiting may be the greatest teacher and trainer in godliness, maturity, and genuine spirituality most of us ever encounter.
- Richard Hendrix
Waiting doesn't sound so bad in that context, does it? Taking a moment to step back and realize that God is in control of my life always, in the peaks and valleys, and in the in-between, is a pretty great revelation. Of course, this is something I know in my heart - my faith tells me that God is always there. But how often do I still worry, stress, or fret about changing something in my own routine to bring the end of my goals faster?
As humans, we are always waiting on something. My life is amazing right now, but there are always family items we are working on or something in the future we are looking forward to. How great to know that our God is working on our hearts and loving us everyday, not just in the exciting moments of our lives.
I had this on my heart to share this morning, so I bumped my regularly pre-scheduled blog post to share it. My prayer is that someone else who is anxious about something can read this and be blessed.
Do you read a devotional? If so, what are some of your favorites? I love getting new ideas.
oh, brienn - i hear ya. the waiting is the worst. but i loved stephen's message. we might as well LIVE in the meantime or we are just wasting it.
ReplyDeletei don't have a devotional but need to find one. time to get moving on the "doing" part.
btw ---- stay on the boat!!