Patience Reprised

Friends,

Happy Wednesday!

This is our last week studying the virtue of patience, and quite honestly, I am feeling glad about that. In my faith journey this month I have come to realize just how much I have to grow in patience and it is sometimes frustrating to admit. :)

Last week, I celebrated my 7th month here at Bon Air as the Director of Christian Education. In reality, that is not much time... barely more than half a year. I have learned and loved and listened in this community. I have spent the last seven months praying for our children, for our church, for God's work. Seven months of practicing the call I feel God has placed on me. Seven months of being in ministry and relationship with each of you. In many, many, many ways I have seen God work all around me... and in other ways I have struggled to be patient. My mind and heart are constantly filled with new ways for us to grow as a community and as a ministry. Every where I look I see opportunities for our kids to grow in their faith, in their service to others, in their love of Christ.

However, if I have learned anything in seven months, it is that patience is a spiritual discipline for a reason. By nature, I am a "doer" and I want things to happen. BUT, things don't work in my time, they work in God's time. This has been a hard lesson for me this month. In my spiritual life, in my professional life, in my personal life-- I have been impatient for God's direction and movement. 

Can any of you relate? Are there places in your life where you are impatient for God to move? Maybe you are a "doer" like me and you want to force God's timing along. Perhaps you just are tired of waiting and waiting and waiting.

Here's the good news I have for you today. Even in our impatience, God is faithful. When I look around me a second time, I see all of the very, very many blessings and fulfilled promises God has given me (and us!) in the last seven months. Like those Israelites from week 1, it is easy to be impatient as we wait on God; but we also must remember that even in (what seems like) a wilderness, our God is forever present.

Blessings,
Amanda

Patience is a virtue!

Happy Wednesday!

If any of you were to ask me, I'd tell you I'm a pretty patient person. I keep a cool and stable demeanor while waiting for things. I don't yell at people in public who inconvenience me. I still tip servers 20%, even if I waited an hour for my dinner. I deal with a wide spectrum of personalities. I work with kiddos (and let's face it, you HAVE to be patient with them!). None of this phases me (much) and I am actually one of those annoying people who say things like, "Patience is a virtue." However, when it comes to God, I find I have the patience of a 2-year-old. Maybe not even that.

This month, we here in children's ministry have been focusing on practicing Patience. Last week, we heard the story of the wandering Israelites and their impatience in the desert. After being freed from oppression in Egypt, the Israelite people (led by Moses) wandered in the desert for 40 years, waiting for God to lead them to the Promised Land. In their impatience, the people began to doubt God and God's presence and providence in their life. They complained. They wanted to turn around and go back (to slavery!). They built golden calves in hopes of finding a new god.

Half of me (probably the self-righteous half) reads these stories and thinks "What the heck?! God freed them from bondage! God gave them clear signs of His presence and provision! God gave these crazy people just a few commandments (10, in fact) and they STILL couldn't suck it up? Did they REALLY think a golden cow was going to make their life better?"

Be careful, friends. The moment you begin to think that way, God often reveals to you how very much you are like the Israelites. As I was pointing my judgmental nose at our religious ancestors, I began to wonder, "How often has God freed me from something that was really hurting me... and how often have I longed to just turn around and go back to it? How often has God revealed His presence in my life... and how often have I ignored it? How often have I had to wander and trust (not even for 40 years... shoot, probably not even for 40 days!) and God gets a piece of my whiny, complaining mind? How often have I sought financial gain, the favor of others, or some other 'golden calf' over the assurances of God?" Too often. Way too often.

We all find ourselves in times of wilderness and wandering.

Here's the good news: God is present. God provides. God fulfills promises.
Here's the bad news: Sometimes you just have to be patient.

Praying that each of you are reminded this week of God's presence in your life and that His promises remain, even in your impatience.

Many, many blessings,
Amanda