Waiting Rewarded

May 30, 2012 by 15 Comments
 

Several weeks ago I did battle with myself in the purse department at Macy’s. No blood was shed, but the struggle was intense.

I mentally debated the pros and cons of purchasing my perfect find and modeled it in a mirror at least a dozen times, but in the end, I put it back on the shelf. It wasn’t on sale. And there was no way I could bring myself to purchase it at full price. Talk about frustration.

For the past couple of months, I’d been on a quest—one I also undertook last year—to find a black and white purse to carry during the spring and summer months. Since black coordinates well with most of my wardrobe, I wanted to keep that color, but I also wanted something to lighten up my look—something that looked more summery. White would do the trick.

Not only was I on the hunt for that particular color combination, but size was a factor as well. Physically, I can’t carry big purses, but I also don’t want anything too small. On top of that, I need a purse with at least a two sections and some pockets for organization. I’m afraid I’d lose what little mind I have left if I had to rifle through one big abyss every time I needed to find my lipstick.

So, when I spotted the answer to my prayers perched attractively on that Macy’s shelf, I almost broke out into a victory dance. But before jumping into full celebration mode, I decided to check the price tag. Oh, my goodness. All I can say is good grief, dang, and why me?

Even though it was disheartening to have to walk away, I would have been even more miserable if I’d overspent in a moment of shopping desperation. Showing restraint was the right call. I’d just have to hope the purse would still be there and go on sale during one of my subsequent trips to the city.

Fast forward a month. My friend Teri had given me a great coupon for Macy’s so into the store I marched with coupon in hand, hoping against hope that my dream purse would be on sale, sitting on the shelf waiting for me to clutch it to my bosom in sweet relief. And you know what? My dreams came true! Not only was the purse nearly 50% off, the clerk allowed me to use the coupon as well. Score!!

I believe more that luck was involved, though. I think God had a hand in my good fortune that day. Not only does he care about the things that concern us, but he loves to bless us—just like we love to bless our kids. He rewarded my patience and self-restraint and provided for me at just the right time. Hmmm . . . that somehow sounds familiar.

Yes, he’s taught me that lesson now a time or two . . . or maybe ten. I hope I remember it next time I do battle in a Macy’s aisle. More than that, I hope I remember it day in and day out, as I make decisions either to rush ahead or wait on God.

So what do you say? Next time we find ourselves in a battle with ourselves, let’s show restraint. Let’s practice patience. Let’s trust God to provide for us at just the right time.

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

*How has the Lord rewarded a time of waiting in your life?

*By popular demand, I’ve added a link to a photo of the purse :) http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/giani-bernini-handbag-swagger-satchel?ID=702734&CategoryID=54507#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D88%26ruleId%3D52%26slotId%3D4

*Flickr photo at top of post by kelsey_lovefusionphoto

Filed Under: celebrate, frustration, hope, provision, trust, wait

Absent Without Leave

April 17, 2011 by 5 Comments

My voice went AWOL on me this past week. Blame it on seasonal allergies (which I usually don’t have) or just a nasty spring cold, but I spent the better part of the week trying to communicate with anything from a hoarse whisper to a croaking, cough-infused version of my former speaking voice. And forget the singing voice. It’s still AWOL.

What a difference one little part of our bodies can make. Having next to no voice made it difficult and at times impossible to do certain tasks and carry on with life as normal. Maybe because life is not normal when a part of our bodies is missing or not functioning the way it should, huh?

The staff at the pharmacy probably thought they were dealing with some weirdo prank caller on my first voiceless morning when I called to ask advice from the pharmacist. I pretty much gave up on phone calls after that, though I did talk to Kelli when she called one day. Poor thing had to listen to me cough and hack my way through that conversation.

Choir was definitely out, and when my voice started to return, I had to apologize for how it sounded every time I spoke to someone new. I also couldn’t make myself heard if I was more than a few feet away, and I’m still trying to figure out why Don thought I could answer him when he yelled at me from another room :)

I’m living proof this week that our lives are definitely hampered when a part of the body goes AWOL. And you know that’s true not only for our physical bodies, but for the body of Christ — the church– as well. Scripture likens the church to a physical body, and the comparison is an apt one.

Since as believers, we are each part of the body and each have a role to fulfill or a function to perform, what do you suppose happens when one or more members of the body goes AWOL? Yes, the rest of the body finds it difficult and even impossible at times to carry on its normal tasks. They may have to give up a vital service or ministry or, at the very least, apologize for a role being inadequately or half-heartedly filled.

So let’s ask ourselves today what kind of body part we are. Let’s not be the ones to make life difficult for our churches. Let’s not go AWOL on the body of Christ.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter/ezine will come out the first week in May. If you’re not already receiving Life Notes, sign-up is free and to the right!

Flickr photo by Michael Cory, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: body, church, frustration

Missed Opportunities

November 2, 2008 by 8 Comments

Ever been asked an important question, and in place of a sensible or eloquent answer, you found gibberish pouring out of your mouth instead? You know the times I’m talking about. The times you kicked yourself for days. I hate to admit it, but it happened to me this past week — again.

Just before my writers meeting was about to start, the speaker for the evening, Therese Stenzel, sat down in front of me. With a few minutes to spare, she turned, introduced herself to me, and asked me what kind of writing I do. That’s when I started tripping over my tongue. I’ll spare you the sad details.

Since this is a common question at any writers’ gathering, you’d think I could give a smooth and ready answer. But this time I was caught off guard. My excuses? First, I’m still fairly new to mingling in writers’ circles; second, my brain seems to go on strike from time to time; and third (and probably mostly to blame), that same poor brain was already boggled from a long day of shopping (you know, always too much to do when I go to T-town, especially now that it’s time to add Christmas shopping to the mix).

Bottom line? I blew it. I missed an opportunity to clearly share what I’m doing in my writing life. Oh, I gave a partial, disjointed answer, but I failed to mention some of the things that are most important to me. I just hadn’t shifted gears. I wasn’t mentally prepared for the evening.

God’s word has something to say about being prepared. In speaking about preaching and being ready to give a needed word, Paul told Timothy to “be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). I think there’s a lesson there for us as well. We need to be ready all the time. Ready in our work lives, ready at home, ready to lend a helping hand, ready to share our faith. Sometimes we just need to be ready with a smile or a kind word.

And if we’re not ready? We’re going to miss opportunities. Many of them much more important than the one I missed the other night.

If you’re like me, you’ve missed opportunities, too. Let’s quit kicking ourselves over the ones that got away and do our best to be prepared for the ones yet to come. Let’s be ready.

“…Always be prepared to give an answer to every one who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” 1 Peter 3:15

*p.s. We have an opportunity to vote on Tuesday — let’s not miss that!

**p.p.s. The leaves are finally turning their fall colors in our neck of the woods. Love it!

**Flickr photo by Alex Bellink, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: frustration, preparation, writing

On the Blink

August 24, 2008 by 3 Comments

Don’t you just hate it when one thing after another breaks down? No sooner than we got our lawnmower situation solved last week, another problem presented itself. Our big tv went on the blink. Luckily, we have another one we can use while the 36 inch one’s being fixed, but now we’re stuck trying to watch a 13 inch tv. Good grief, we’ve almost needed a magnifying glass to see the last few days of the Olympics :)

I know, we’re spoiled. But we can’t even use our dvd player or Tivo. The old standby tv is just too old — doesn’t have the hook-ups. I guess I should be thankful the cable can still be used, even though we’re not getting nearly all of our channels for some reason. We’ll just grit it out until our good tv is fixed. This time, one thing on the blink has affected other things, though, and I’m probably missing the Tivo more than anything. I got spoiled on that in no time flat.

If something had to quit working, I’m glad it wasn’t anything more serious than a tv. The worst is when our bodies go on the blink. That’s another time when one thing going wrong can certainly affect other things. When Paul compared the church body to our physical bodies, he pointed out that “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it…” (1 Corinthians 12:26). When we experience pain, not only do we hurt, but we deal with exhaustion, we have difficulty thinking clearly, and many times we have to cope with other limitations as well.

It can be scary when our bodies malfunction. We can be left feeling vulnerable — fearful of what the future holds. I know. While I was only in my 30s, I dealt with the onset of a couple of different ongoing health concerns. One was inflammatory arthritis. Thank goodness, it hasn’t developed into classic rheumatoid arthritis, but in the beginning, we weren’t sure.

At first, my flareups were confined to my right thumb and wrist. Extreme pain and inability to use my right hand during those times impacted my life in a number of ways. I’ll never forget, though, the fear that gripped me the first time one of my knees was affected. I knew the devastating toll rheumatoid arthritis could take on a body. I had no control over what was happening, and I was afraid. Would I one day end up in a wheelchair?

As I poured out my concerns to God, He graciously comforted and assured me with the words He spoke to Paul when Paul pleaded with the the Lord to take away his thorn in the flesh. The Lord said to Paul — and to me — “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'” (2 Corinthians 12:9). I knew that no matter what the future held, God would be with me and give me the grace I would need to face any situation. And now, all these years later, I’m so thankful that my fear of being crippled by arthritis has not been realized.

Yes, when our bodies go on the blink, it’s frightening. If it happens to you, let me encourage you to run to the Lord with your fears. He may give you the same answer He gave me and Paul. Or He might speak different words of encouragement to you. Just give Him the chance. Turn to Him. He’ll be there.

p.s. Anyone else faced with an “on the blink” situation? Feel free to share. If it’s something serious, we’ll pray for you. If it’s a nuisance, we’ll empathize :)

Filed Under: body, frustration, prayer

The In Between

July 9, 2008 by 2 Comments

The meantime. The interim. Something has ended, but the new has not yet arrived. Our church is experiencing this right now. We are in between pastors and have been for eight months. That’s not long, though, considering my parents’ church. They are looking for a new pastor, too, and their meantime has lasted over a year and a half now.

Our church has been very fortunate. We had someone ready to step in and serve as interim pastor within a couple of weeks. What a blessing it has been to have the same man standing before us week after week instead of always wondering who might be preaching next. Things have flowed smoothly, and we have carried on the church’s ministries for the most part. We have not been in limbo.

But we are waiting. Waiting goes hand in hand with the in between. You can’t get around it. The test becomes how we wait. Will we trust God to bring the right pastor to us at the right time, or will we grow impatient and demanding and start criticizing our search committee or complaining to God? Will we be supportive and continue to serve in our respective roles, or will we decide to “go on vacation” and just wait for the new pastor to arrive? (By the way, our search committee is doing an awesome job — truly seeking the Lord’s will for our church).

Any of you faced with an interim period in your life right now? Are you playing the waiting game? Change hits us in a variety of ways. Maybe you’re in between relationships or possibly in between jobs. Some of you may have been temporarily sidelined by physical problems, and others may not be able to move forward with a project until certain other things fall into place. Or if you’re a writer like me, you are undoubtedly waiting to see the fruit of your labor, waiting to hear from an editor.

How will we wait? What will we do with our “in between”? Let’s follow the admonition found in the Psalms: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Ps. 27:14)

*Anyone learned any “waiting” lessons that you’d like to share with the rest of us? We’re all ears — just jump in with a comment.

**FYI – check out Nancy’s Olive Leaf Ministries blog for her Summer Bible Study Giveaway (the link is to the right).

Filed Under: change, church, frustration, time, trust
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