The Mystery of Patience

     What challenging situation are you finding yourself in the middle of right now?  Is there a new baby on the way?  A giant mess to tackle?  A toddler who throws a daily tantrum?  Whatever it is, I have great news for you -- ALL the patience you need is available to you!  Yes, really, ALL of it!

     How many times have you heard another mom say, "Oh,  I couldn't do ________ (that), I just don't have the patience"?  That is the beautiful, yet upside-down mystery of God's operating system -- it's because of the "things" that we don't feel we have the patience to accomplish that the true, deep, genuine patience will have the opportunity to take its form. 

     The inward mom cries out to reach a perfect level of pre-determined patience before stepping into the task, but God whispers to us as if to say, "You step into the task, and I will see that what you require will take its shape as you are going."

     God' operating system is completely opposite the world's operating system -- the world says we need to get our act together and then attempt the next thing.  God's operating system says we need to acknowledge that we don't have what it takes and then attempt the next thing RECOGNIZING OUR NEED FOR GOD and watch Him come through for us.

     I have a perpetual blaring alarm bell in my head now -- every time I sense the need to "arrive" before tackling the next big thing, the sirens go off -- WHRRRRRR.  The warning is that I am depending on "Kristen" if I am trying to "arrive" and not on God.  God is ready and able to meet every task that He has allowed on our path, BUT are we ready and able to give each of those tasks over to Him and ask Him to work patience in us and through us as we are going?

     Stories of the past tell the mystery of God's ways -- those famed leaders haven't accomplished grandiose things because of their predisposition to greatness, but because of their trust for God to provide "as they were going". 

     Are we prepared to place our foot on the unseen next step over the cavern of the unknown? 

     Do we believe that IF we surrender our lack of ability to produce patience over to God and ask Him to accomplish that in us, it will be as we are going that we see Him do a magnificent work?  The Bible says that we can taste and see that the Lord is good -- may this be a new way that we can experience His provision and goodness in our lives.

"We pray that you will be

strengthened with all His

glorious power so you will

have ALL the endurance

and PATIENCE

you need."

Colossians 1:11