Patience. Wow, is that a loaded word or what? How does one become patient? Who is willing (or foolish enough) to pray for patience. We all know that to pray for patience means that God won't just give it to you, he's going to make you work for it. I don't always want to trust God that it will be alright, I want to make it all happen in MY time. But that's what it comes down to really, is trusting God that he will work everything out in HIS time. Piece of cake right? Wrong. We're humans. Humans are possibly the most impatient being in any of God's creation. Especially us here in Western Civilization. We expect results NOW. "Burn 40 lbs in one weekend!" "High Speed Internet!! Split second downloads, no waiting for pages to load!!!" "New weight lifting machine, get results NOW!!" "Complete dinner ready in 2 minutes!" "Get your food in 30 seconds or less at the new drive thru restraunt" We see it everywhere, the ways we can save time. Ways to get results now. No wonder we're not patient. How many times have you been frustrated waiting in line at the supermarket, at the bookstore, in line for class registration, or waiting at the DMV. Who wants to wait? We have more important things to do with our time.
It's like that in relationships too. We want to be with the man of our dreams NOW! Then we can start really living. Really Living? does that mean we're just fake living now? Are we so caught up in finding the perfect mate that we forget to focus on the one that created our perfect mate? Who's gonna give us that perfect man? God!!! So why not start thanking Him now for all the blessings you will recieve in the future. Let Him prepare you now, so that you will be ready for that man, and to be a wife that brings him joy and respect. Become a Proverbs 31 woman before you have to worry about morgages, kids, and all of that married life stuff. It's easier now to be a woman of virtue because that's what you can focus on completely! When you have a husband you will be focusing on his needs, not yours. Focus on God and your own walk with Him now, while you are still free enough to do it. Be patient and God will bless you beyond your wildest dreams.
The Peace Of God
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
"There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.
"One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
"The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.
"But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest ... perfect peace.
"Which picture do you think won the prize?
"The King chose the second picture. Do you know why?
"'Because,' explained the King, 'peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.'" (Author Unknown)
God right now wishes for me to be full of peace, not full of anxiety. But what is keeping me from this peace? Many things I suppose, but what has come to my attention in the past few weeks is how I hold onto pain that has come to me. I can’t seem to let it go. So how do I let go of this pain? The obvious answer is “give it to Jesus” So how do I do that? Well I’m not sure exactly. I’m not going to forget it, no matter how hard I try. My friend Jeff gave me some good advice. He said every time I think of the pain I’ve had to endure in my life. Think about who I blame for it. Such as my ex-boyfriend. Then I need to say “I forgive you” in my heart to whoever it is. Even if I don’t believe it, I need to remind myself constantly that instead of dwelling on the pain, I need to forgive and let God handle their heart and my heart.
Am I missing out on blessings because I continue to cling to pain? Of course I am! I might be ruining a good thing because I’m too focused on my own needs and I can’t focus on the needs of those people I love most of all. I need to sit down every day and pray to God to take away the pain, to heal the hurts in my heart and help me to be a woman of virtue instead of a whining child. God has people for me to touch, and I cannot touch them unless I put aside my problems and focus on how God wants me to help them. God will show me what to do if I’m listening, but focusing on myself deafens my spiritual ears and hardens my heart. I want my heart to be open to all, and not closed up so that no one can enter.
Submissiveness. That word has been translated to mean a lot of different things these days. Some husbands use it to hold over thier wives heads to make them do whatever the husband want, and that the wife has no choice but to obey his every whim. But really submissiveness is not a matter of obedience as much as it is a matter of trust. You trust your husband to do what’s right by you. You trust him to lead your family the right way. Or do you?
Let’s look at what the Bible shows us about submissive wives. Look at Sarah and Abraham. (the story in Genesis 12:10-20 to be exact) Abaham (then Abram) asked Sarah (then Sarai) to pretend to be his sister when they went into Egypt. Now I’m SURE that Sarah had her doubts about the whole thing. In fact I bet she wished that she could put her foot down and just say no, but she TRUSTED her husband to protect her and to be there for her. Yes, he let her down, but that’s not the point. The point is that she was willing to put her reputation, her life, and her freedom on the line just because she trusted Abraham that it would be ok. And because she trusted him, it DID turn out ok, and they both ended up being blessed in the end in spite of the problems that came up. What a virtuous woman! No wonder those two as a couple are referred to in Hebrews as having great faith!
When we refuse to be submissive, problems occur. Isaac loved Rebekah, he provided for her, he cared for her, but when he got old and it was coming time for him to pass on, Rebekah didn’t trust Isaac to bestow the blessings on the correct son. Isaac knew God’s will for him to bless his oldest son. Rebekah disagreed with Isaac’s decision though, and helped Jacob trick his father into blessing him, instead of his older brother Esau. What were the consequences? The younger son had to flee, live on the run for years. It broke up the family, broke the heart of Isaac and made them all miserable. She brought down a curse on herself, I mean how many times do you think of Rebekah when you think of women of virtue from the bible? Probably not very many!
So what does this mean? Trust your husband that he’s hearing from God even if you don’t hear the same thing. Believe in his decisions that made for the good of the both of you. Women who aren’t married, look for a man who you can really trust to take care of you and who will want to make your life happy, and do what’s best for you. If the man you are dating is selfish, he probably won’t be the kind of man in marriage that you can trust to make you decisions, and therefore you will not be submissive and your life won’t end up as it should be based on God’s plan. Does this mean you can never challange your husband’s decisons? No! There are times when it is perfectly acceptable to challange what your husband decides, but be careful how you do it. Tell him your feelings, ask him to pray and ask God’s guidance, but realize that it is he who will make the final decision. It takes wisdom to know when to stop fighting for what you think is right, and start listening and trusting.
