As I sit here and type this sometimes I am still amazed at all God has done in my life the past five years! It actually seems like I’m living a totally different life and I’m even a different person because so much has changed. I went from being a single women, living in Frisco, working full time for a financial planning company in Plano, spending time with friends and family wondering if God really wanted me to be a wife and a mother to…. Getting married to the man of my dreams, becoming a pastor’s wife, serving in two different churches, having 2 children, living in Sherman and then North Richland Hills, and working part time at the same company - Wow!!
If you knew me five years ago you probably would have said I was not exactly content in my current situation. I desired so strongly to be married and have a family and as I continued to get older I really started to believe that wasn’t God’s plan for me. But if you ran into me today and saw me and my husband at church or out to eat with our 2 1/2 year old and 10 month old that thought would never enter your mind! It’s crazy how God can change a life so quickly and actually almost erase the feelings of despair and frustration you had during the waiting period. It makes me think of the verse, "I will restore to you the years the swarming locust has eaten." Joel 2:25. I couldn't agree more!
Now that God has revealed his plan for my life, which includes being a wife and a mother, I want to be an encouragement for others who may be in a season of waiting. We all wait for different things, a spouse, a child, a new job, an opportunity… whatever it is that we are desiring but have not received yet requires us to wait. And can I get an Amen that waiting is not fun or easy?! However, what I’ve learned in my seasons of waiting is that there is ALWAYS a purpose for it. In my wait for James, I had to grow and so did he. We needed to become the right person for each other and God knew exactly when that time was and that is when he chose to introduce us! In fact, we could have met early if it would have been God’s plan. James actually performed the wedding of my sorority big sister, but for some reason I didn’t attend the wedding. I don’t even know why but that was in the year 1995 and we didn’t meet until 2008! I guess you can say that it wasn’t God’s timing yet!! Because when we did meet we met on line and we lived over 3 hours away! Remember with God all things are possible and nothing is too big for him to overcome.
I did not enjoy waiting and I can honestly say I didn’t make the most of my wait! However, I will say that I learned from it because now when I am required to wait I try to see what I can do while I am waiting and see what God is teaching me during the wait. I’ve heard the term "actively waiting" used before and that is exactly what we should all strive to do! What is God teaching us at this time? How can we serve Him during this wait? What is the purpose for our wait? Is he using this time to change me or someone else? In fact, sometimes during the wait he will also change our heart and make our desire different! I think back to Abraham and Sarah waiting for their child and Moses wandering the desert for 40 years to get to the Promise Land. Do we really think they wanted to wait? Of course not! But once God revealed the big picture we can all see the purpose of their waiting!
So whatever you are waiting for today try to remember that there is a purpose for it and cling to God and know that He is always in control!
Here is a song I heard during my waiting season for James - What an incredible feeling to hear the song after that season had past and now understand the purpose of that wait!
No comments:
Post a Comment