Patiently Following

     Why is it so tough to be patient? I find myself struggling everyday with this characteristic. Everything in our society is so quick that we rarely have to wait on anything anymore. Whether it is food, Internet, or transportation, everything is convenient. This idea of never having to wait rolls over into our spiritual  life, sadly. We become impatient with waiting on a certain answer from God. We want a quick response to our prayer that was prayed five seconds ago. As Christians, we often get caught up in trying to find our "calling" or "direction" in life. "What is my purpose in life?" or "What is God's will for my life?" These are deep questions that usually are not just a quick response from God. Instead it is a daily shaping, sanctifying, and stimulating process that God has planned for each individual. This process includes but is not limited to reading His Word, praying, sharing the Gospel, fasting, serving, and having Christian fellowship. When we do these things, we are not just sitting around wasting days that God has blessed us with. This process will help us grow so that our ears will be more attentive to God's voice, instead of our own. Our hearts will stop chasing "our desires" and start seeking His desires. That is why is Psalms 37:4 say to "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart," because when you delight yourself in him, your desires become what God intended your desires to be. 

     Proverbs 20:21 says "An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end." Too often, we turn a situation or a person into an "answer from God." I am not taking any credit away from the miraculous powers of Christ, but we seem to grab things to fit them into our plans and end up not having that full blessing that God wanted to pour out on our life. When we wait patiently we will appreciate the rich and full blessing that God will eventually give to us.

     Stop wasting time sitting around and get out and make an impact in the Kingdom! That is God's ultimate will of our life. God is not trying to torture us, he is simply shaping us into the likeness of Him. Let go and let Him take control. 

Be patient. Follow Him.

Patiently Following,

Hannah Hollis