There's peace in patience

It's easy to get uncomfortable waiting. Whether it's waiting for the right guy to come along, waiting for an answer or waiting for something you really want, no kind of waiting is fun. Many of us in our own strength try our best to push the waiting process along and that's where we get in trouble! Sometimes us women tend to seek out a man ourselves when the Lord clearly states the man should pursue the woman and we end up hurt! None of this "pushing for things to happen" is good for anyone! You then look back and wish you hadn't! 

I myself have pushed for things many times because I wanted instant gratification and never once did it turn out in my favor! Times I settled into bad relationships just because I was uncomfortable alone led to countless damaging scars. Times I wanted something like a car or a big purchase and rushed into it, I ended up with a terrible deal in the end. 

So what can we do in times like these? How do we remain patient? We wait for peace. There's an uncanny peaceful experience when something is right for you. Wait on that! Easier said then done right? Trust me I know! 

But this verse has helped me lately as I wait for peace: Isaiah 30:18 says "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you. Therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait on him." Do you see that? Blessed are all who wait on him! This should encourage you like no other! Until you feel that peace about a purchase, a man, or whatever it is you want, you have to wait and in waiting you will find yourself blessed. God is a good God and the first part of that verse says he longs to be gracious to you! He wants to give you your desires but you have to wait until it's truly from him! If you do it any other way, it's not from God and it's not going to be good. 

I know waiting can be hard but finding joy in the process is key! James 1:2 says "consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance and you will be blessed." Waiting actually makes us more mature. We gain wisdom and perseverance as we wait. Knowing that, you should smile realizing that in the end of your season waiting, God will be pleased to give you the desires of your heart and you will come out better then you were before. In patience you will get your peace. ✌🏼️ 

Comfort Without Control

Some days I wake up and the first thing that hits me is the stress that the day brings. I think about my list of things to do, the personal troubles I may be having and whatever else is going on that I have to face. Life is that way. Some days I wake up feeling great and other days I wake up with an undeniable weight on my shoulders. 

But two of the things that I've learned as I grow in my faith is that first, nothing is actually in my hands. Regardless of what I try to do in my own power God is ultimately in control! If something is going to go wrong today, there is a reason for it. There is a bigger picture that only God sees, and in the end it will work out for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). So when things don't go my way, I ask God what it is he is trying to show me in the moment instead of blaming him for it. 

The second thing and most powerful thing I can do in times of stress, doubt and fear is give thanks. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil. 4:6.) Literally, in two minutes of remembering all the great blessings I've been given, my whole attitude and thought process changes. I go from "stinkin thinkin" to an attitude of gratitude in no time! The small cloud that was over my head slowly moves away and the sun starts to shine. Now, that cloud may come lurking in and out throughout the day but as soon as I start telling God all the things that I am thankful for, my personal weather gets better and I'm out basking in the sun again! 

Not everyday is going to be perfect and not everyday is going to be smooth, but if we simply give it to God and tell him thank you for everything else that is right in our lives he will show up for you. 

Jesus wants you to call on him. He yearns for that relationship with you. And the better the relationship gets, the more you will see the sun shining in your life. God never promised an easy life but he did promise that he'd be there to uphold you if you hold out your hand. "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you." Isaiah 66:13