Hold your horses!

I have a problem. Maybe you have the same problem. Patience. Ugh. Isn't that just a lovely word? I know I've talked about this before, but it's just been on my mind all day today so I figured I should probably share. Obviously, I haven't conquered the problem of patience just yet, but I'm still working on it. So I'm going to guess that there is a big chance that many of you struggle with this problem of patience. You want to know why I guess this?

You get a text and have to respond immediately. You start a task at work and you have to finish it asap. You go to the doctor and you get agitated when they don't call you in at the time of your appointment. You go to McDonald's and you expect to have your food right when you get to the pick up window but the new guy is making your burger so it's taking longer than usual . You are in traffic and want to scream with frustration (maybe you do) because you want to get home immediately. 

I could list more examples of when we do not have patience. Part of it I think is our fault, but I think society also plays a part. Our society is not the waiting type, it's the NOW type. "I want it and I want it NOW!" I don't know about you but I've definitely said that phrase and thought it multiple times. Now that I think about it, I realize how childish it is to be so demanding. There are going to be times when you don't get what you want or you don't get it when you want it. That's just how life is. 

Today I was reading my Bible and it dawned on me that God truly is a God of patience. That might scary to think about, since we aren't patient often. However, it should be a comforting thought. God grows us through patience. Think about Noah and the flood. He had to wait after a year until he could get out of the ark (Can you imagine?!). Abraham also had to be patient. God promised that he would be a father of many nations, but Sarah couldn't get pregnant at the time. Because of Abraham's faithfulness and patience, he waited until he was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old to have his son, Isaac. Hebrews 6:15 says, "And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised." Job also was an example of how God blesses people through patience. The book of Job isn't the most joyful book in the Bible (that's my opinion of course) because it tells the story of how God let the devil take everything away from Job, but because Job knew that God had a plan for him, he waited patiently.  In fact, God rewarded him. Job 42:10 says, "After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before."

See, it's clear that patience is important.

 It may not be fun during the waiting period, but in the end it can grow us. 

God is patient with us, so we should be patient with Him. 

He waited for us to open our eyes to His truth, so lets wait for His plan to play out. 

When you start getting impatient, remember that it's in God's time, not yours. He blesses those who wait for His will.

Hebrews 6:12- We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Galations 6:9- Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This is the song that came to mind when I was writing this...check it out!

Waiting to catch a big one...

This past week my family and I were invited to come to my uncle and aunt's house in Port Aransas. It was a nice little vacation where us, ladies, spent a lot of time talking, reading, and relaxing while the men fished. Oh and I can't forget to mention the amazing seafood and comfy hammock! Anyway, because of my lovely illness (sarcasm, of course), I'm not allowed to be in the sun due to one of my medications or I would be burnt to a crisp...literally. Not a nice sight. So for the first time, I was unable to go wade fishing with the guys. I was quite upset because I love to wade fish. I may not be any good at it, but I've always liked being "one of the guys" out in the ocean catching fish...or at least trying. I still had a good time just relaxing, but I just couldn't see myself leaving Port Aransas without fishing. So like any good patient, I talked my dad into letting me do some night fishing. Of course, like any good dad, he couldn't say no to his precious daughter (haha love ya dad!). After my dad got my pole ready, I cast out my line, hoping to catch a big one! The stars were twinkling above, the wind was blowing, and the moon was glowing....what a perfect night for fishing! I've fished ever since I was little, usually just on vacations. I think what I liked most was being out there with guys and attempting to do something tough and messy (I guess you could say), but there was one thing I didn't enjoy much....waiting. I constantly was wanting to reel in my line and cast out again, but then again what do you expect for a little kid? Not many kids are exactly pros in the patience arena. This night was somewhat different however. As I sat in the boat, waiting to hook a fish, I realized that I wasn't necessarily anxious to reel in a big one. Of course, that was my goal, but I was okay waiting. I would be lying if I said I never once got anxious about catching one (especially since I was getting a lot of bites, that may have helped my patience), but when I wasn't getting any bites, I was fine with taking my surroundings in and just waiting. Have you ever been fine with waiting? Have you ever put waiting on the top of your most enjoyable things to do? I know I haven't! I realized during my time of fishing (funny how God can speak to you), that these past 8 months of treatment has taught me something....waiting. I knew from the beginning of treatment that it was a process and may not happen over night. Patience was required for this journey that I'm on. Have you ever heard the saying, "don't pray for patience"? Well, I'm guilty of that. I think I prayed that prayer years ago and guess what? I believe my prayer was finally answered! I'm not saying that I have mastered the art of patience (you can ask my parents), because I haven't. However, God has definitely taught me a lot about patience the past 8 months and really for the past 8 years. Now I don't think I have been patient on my own though. I think God has definitely helped me with that lately. I think we've all heard the phrase, "the best things are worth waiting for." I think that phrase is intended to make the waiting process easier, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Most of the time, waiting isn't fun. So whether it's waiting to catch a 22 inch red fish or waiting for good health, I think the most important part is what we learn while we're waiting. You may learn patience or trust or something about yourself, but no matter what it is, there is a reason for the waiting. If God is letting me go through this to teach me patience, then I'm thankful because patience is really important in life. So what are YOU waiting for? Good health, like me? A job? Spouse? Forgiveness? Whatever it may be, figure out what you're supposed to learn from it and grow. Find the good in the waiting and trust in God's timing. Romans 8:24-25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. A song that I love that speaks the truth about waiting is called "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller. Check it out, if you'd like! Blessings! <3