Skip to main content

A Lesson that I Hate Learning

                 I do not like waiting.  I hate having to have patience.  I do not like not knowing.  Call me a control freak, but I want to fix things and make situations better.  Unfortunately, there are lots of events that are out of my control. 
    What do you do in those situations? 
                If you have ever been to the circus, you have probably seen the trapeze artists.  A trapeze act is made up of two performers: a flyer and a catcher.  When the flyer is in air, he or she has only one job and that is to wait.  If the flyer panics, or starts thrashing around trying to catch the catcher, it is likely that things are not going to end well.  However, if the flyer remains calm and peaceful, the catcher can reach out, grab their arms and swing them back to safety.
                Often, my desire to fix things only makes them worse.  Being upset and agitated only adds to the problem.  As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes the very best thing to do is to wait for the answer that you need.
                The apostle Paul, who was no stranger to trouble, said it this way, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-9).
                It is worth noting that waiting does not mean that we do nothing.  We may not be able to change what is happening, but we can choose how we will go through it.  We can decide what we will focus on.   Waiting gives us time to be thankful for what we have and to pray for what we want to see.  When we learn to do this, then he says that we will find “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” and that peace is the key that helps us get through our struggles well.
                It is a lesson that I hate, but one that I still need to learn. 
                When things feel up in the air and out of control, be calm and trust.
                God will always catch you!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more