“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5,6).
I met a friend at Starbucks today.
As usual, I filed in line to buy my pumpkin spice latte. I was there. I needed to patronize the business, right? I couldn’t just meet somebody there and use the table for free . . . right?
It was the ethical thing to do. :)
The line was long and only one guy stood at the registers taking orders. One guy. And five or six people stood in line, at least. There were three older ladies ordering, and they had some issues with their order. The pumpkin spice latte was not available due to the hurricane. Starbucks had not been able to restock.
So . . . no pumpkin spice latte. They had a dilemma. What to choose instead?! Once they made their choices, they used gift cards to pay for them. Many gift cards.
It took a long time.
I tried to have grace.
I could feel my knee twitching, you know, kind of like tapping on a desk with a pencil? I didn’t make noise, but I couldn’t stand still!
I prayed for grace and to be kind as I waited, but the prayers did not usher in a wind of grace or patience. Finally, another Starbucks worker opened up the second register, and the line began to move. Hallelujah! I actually ordered before those ladies finished paying (and someone had ordered in front of me!)
Waiting.
It’s a hard thing.
My waiting was for something trivial. Yes, pumpkin spice lattes are trivial–I actually got a chai tea latte, but anyway, many of you are waiting on events and answered prayers much more serious than my splurge. But whether big or small, I’m beginning to realize that I lose my patience when I’m focused on me. And when I focus on me, I get frustrated and my knee starts moving, and I am exasperated despite prayers for grace.
[bctt tweet=” I’m beginning to realize that I lose my patience when I’m focused on me. #waiting” username=”wordsbyandylee”]
“Love is patient; love is kind . . . ”
Oops. I was losing the love today.
Waiting seems to be apart of this life, doesn’t it? So, what can we do as we wait on the big and small things? How can we stay patient and kind while we wait?
Proverbs 3:5,6 give us three things to do while we wait.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5,6).
- Trust in the LORD.
- Don’t try to figure it out.
- Acknowledge God. Be aware of His Presence–know Him.
Trust.
I know, does this really apply to the Starbucks line? Maybe not. Yet, trusting God involves recognizing that He just might be up to something good–He may have a good reason for the slow line and the ladies using the ten gift cards with only thirty cents left on each.
But trusting God is more than something we only do when we’re faced with tough situations. Trusting God is a lifestyle. And the more we practice that, I believe the less those trivial moments will affect us. In fact, we can trust that God will bring something good out of it, like a blog post to encourage others!
[bctt tweet=”Trusting God is a lifestyle. ” username=”wordsbyandylee”]
Don’t try to figure it out.
When really hard things have happened in my life, like the death of a loved one, I’ve been desperate to understand why God would let that happen. In my desperation to figure it out, I got mad at God. When I finally gave up my mental quest and trusted His goodness, then peace returned to me. Our emotions are a litmus test of how we’re doing with God. You may have to pray, “Help me let this go and trust you’re good!”
Be aware of His Presence.
Many translations of the Bible use the wording, “Acknowledge God in all your ways . . . ” We need to dig under the English to understand what this means. The Hebrew word is Yada. This is a really cool word. It means to be aware and to know intimately.
So, maybe its easier to understand this verse as “Be aware of God, know Him intimately in all your ways.”
Ways has been translated from derek which “more often denotes actions and behavior of man.”
In everything we do, we need to be aware of His presence because the rest of the scripture promises that He will make our paths straight. That doesn’t mean easy, I hate to tell you. It doesn’t mean the line at Starbucks will always be short and move quickly. It doesn’t mean we won’t face hard days financially or physically. But those words do mean that our ways will be righteous- right with God.
Oh for more trust and awareness of His presence while I wait so I can be filled with His Holy Spirit patience. If I’m more aware of His presence and less aware of my impatience, no telling how God can use me in that waiting place.
Your turn: What helps you wait?
Much love my friends! Thanks for sharing your day with me.
Digging Deep,
andy
I used to real good at this while I was waiting. The other day I realized I fell off the wagon, you might say. I usually try to remember to pray for people who don’t have as much as I do, like Haiti. Or I try to pray for those who need help or are sick and afflicted. When I wait for the copy machine to warm up, I’ve found lots of time to pray. The thing is just so slow. I don’t always do this well, but I try. God reminds me sometimes when I forget. Some one or some name pops into my head and I pray.
Me too, Anna! I fell off the wagon at Starbucks! It does seem that some days I’m better at waiting than others! Thanks for sharing. We aren’t alone in this battle. Blessings to you as you wait on the copy machine to warm up. 😊
Oh my. I have been trying to craftily word my experience within a few hours after Wednesday’s Bible study and discussing how by His blood and by His sacrifice we are made clean. Clean. Whole. His…then a phone call disrupted my day–I’m a Type A personality– as I meticulously followed my mental check list (Bible study, GYN appointment, Sam’s Club, walking around the lake…). The caller represented my retirement count. Someone I could not simply say “no” and hang up the phone. He started the conversation making small talk. I don’t know this person. He was following a script. I interrupted him and asked why he was calling b/c we were walking into Sam’s Club. He continued to follow his script…I was patient on the outside, but on the inside I was turning inside out. I’ve repented for my impatience, my agitation, my WAITING. However, my heart is beating a little faster as I pen these words. Thank you Lord for your blood than cleanses me and that I a work in progress…
Hey Debbie, I have to laugh. Maybe the good Lord was allowing us to experience what we were discussing in our Bible study! We’ve been made holy, but we’re still working on it. LOL! Thanks for sharing! Thankful for His grace!!!!