Patience.........please??

I have been reading Tara Frey’s “Blogging for Bliss” and she suggests that it’s a good idea to keep the religious overtones to a minimum in your blog if you don’t want to scare away readers. I can agree with that, but I also know that I started my blog for me and not necessarily for anyone else. How can I subdue something that is such a big part of me? Why should I? So, I decided that if I turn someone off by my writings, then so be it - it’s not like I have 583 followers, right!?

In the past I’ve wanted to rush home from church on Sundays and write about the wonderful message I heard that morning in hopes it will encourage someone else out there in need of something. But, by the time we finished lunch, I had lost my motivation and the little voices in my head telling me how stupid it was for me to write what was in my heart grew louder and squelched it.

Today, I’m going to jump on that motivation and write what’s in my heart….today, I’m disheartened because our oldest daughter, Jennifer, didn’t get the job she’s been hoping for since the beginning of 2010. I won’t go back into the whole story of her life since college graduation, except to say that she has had many struggles with fear, motivation, encouragement and perhaps even depression. I, myself, have struggled with patience for her in this (she’s 26 and trying her hardest to find a career and move out of the nest). It’s natural for parents to want good things for their children and you can’t help but feel frustrated when things just won’t go right for them and you feel so powerless…dang this recession!! She recently went back to school and got a teaching certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and pursued jobs in that field for close to a year with many doors quietly closed in her face.

The stars seemed to line up for this job, though, which fell back on her original college degree in anthropology and we were hopeful that this was finally going to be an answer for her – a chance for her to get out and into a job that she loved. She was planning on moving in with her little sister and starting life on her own instead of living in her parent’s house. Now, she has to punt.

Anyway, back to why I’m writing all this…I’ve mentioned earlier that I like to keep a journal. This morning I was writing in my journal and feeling very frustrated, confused and somewhat depressed about Jennifer’s situation. I knew that if I was taking this rejection hard, she really was so I was praying for her, too. I was reminding myself to continue to trust God to direct her steps and asking for patience as we continue to wait. There’s a song that comes to mind that I’ve heard lately on our local Christian radio station and unfortunately I don’t know the artist’s name or the name of the song, but some of the words have stuck in my mind and I think of Jennifer and her situation whenever I hear it:

“I will serve You while I’m waiting….I will worship while I’m waiting…..taking every step in obedience”

She has definitely been faithful in doing this while she waits – I need to do the same!!

I finished writing in my journal and absentmindedly flipped back several pages and landed on an entry dated July 8, 2008 and started to read it. I was amazed at how just reading my thoughts back then helped encourage me in what I was going through now. Here are a few excerpts from that entry:

“I’ve been struggling lately with impatience for my future and frustration with Jennifer’s situation……I’ve also been reading I & II Samuel and have come to the part when David is finally king over all Israel. The notes in my Bible (see below) at this point are very meaningful to me in my current situation and I really want to burn them into my mind and heart:

• ‘David did not become king over all Israel until he was 37 years old, although he had been promised the kingdom many years earlier. During those years, David had to wait patiently for the fulfillment of God’s promise. If you feel pressured to achieve instant results & success, remember David’s patience. Just as his time of waiting prepared him for his important task, a waiting period may help prepare you by strengthening your character.’

I wish to be more patient and to take advantage of this waiting period in my life. I am in such a rush to see what’s over the next hill and I really need to wait because I know that as soon as I get to that hill, I’ll wish I was back waiting in the valley!! Lord, help me with my patience and understanding and acceptance. Help me to wait and allow you to ‘strengthen my character’ and mold me into the person you will use on the other side of the hill.”

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I am constantly amazed at how God speaks to me. This time he used my own past writings to encourage me!! I love it! I know without a doubt that God has something wonderful for Jennifer. I know what her talents and gifts are and I know that God has plans to use them, even as she is using them now!

I love you, Jennifer!!!

So, I’ve received my dose of encouragement and refreshment from God today and I wanted to share it with you in hopes you, too, can be encouraged in some way.

Have a beautiful Friday!!