I know this may come as a shock to some, but I'm not exactly the most patient person in the world.
While I'm pretty easy going about most things, one of my biggest pet peeves is traffic. It's the bane of my existence. I would rather take a lesser-known longer route, but stay moving than to have to endure the stop and go of a popular "shortcut".
While I'm pretty easy going about most things, one of my biggest pet peeves is traffic. It's the bane of my existence. I would rather take a lesser-known longer route, but stay moving than to have to endure the stop and go of a popular "shortcut".
Recently, I found myself in a BIG traffic jam. Two hours of inching along, the red glow of taillights illuminating the night sky. There were moments when I'd surge forward and move a few feet, but as quickly as the surge came, it went and my agonizing crawl resumed.
Life is like that sometimes. We seem to get "stuck" in a certain place. Whether it be a place of waiting, a place of suffering, or a place of busyness; whatever it may be, it feels that no matter what we do, we can't move forward and we can't go back.
We look around at our friends in other lanes and they seem to be zooming by with ease, leaving us in the dust. When we turn our focus back to our own lane, we shrink back against the seat because all we can see ahead is the ominous glow of red taillights. The frustration builds as we inch our way along. Will the traffic ever clear? Will this season ever end? When will I reach my destination?? The hours, months, even years tick by and we begin to lose hope that our situation will ever change. We KNOW it will end...eventually. But in the moment, logic goes out the window and we react to what's in front of us rather than what we know to be true.
But here's a thought that I hope will encourage you:
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon (who by the way was the Wisest Man on Earth...like ever!) talks about how life operates in seasons. There's a season for everything, mourning, joy, happiness, love, etc. nothing ever sticks around forever. One of my favorite phrases in the Bible is 'It came to pass'. My Pastor likes to say, "It came to pass, it didn't come to stay."
There will be times when it seems like the season we're in won't ever end; good or bad (though usually, it's the bad ones), we feel that we'll be in that place forever. Something we have to remember, especially in the bad seasons, is it will pass. Eventually, we'll wake up and find ourselves on the other side looking back amazed at how far God carried us.
Unfortunately, there's no rhyme or reason as to how long our seasons will be, it varies for each person. But something I do know is God never gives us anything unless He has a purpose behind it. Whatever season you're in, you can be confident that God has allowed it to happen for a reason and that He will use it (and you) to further His Kingdom here on earth.
God is always working, always teaching, He weaves everything in our lives together to make us stronger. Often times He will lead you through different seasons of life that deal specifically with the areas in your life that need to be strengthened.
While this can be a painful process, we must remember, God never does anything or allows us to walk through something unless it will be to our benefit. However, our attitudes will determine the quality of the lesson we come out with. If we look at our situation with disdain and view it as a punishment, then we'll miss out on the knowledge God is trying to instill in us. It's hard, but in those moments when we just feel like throwing in the towel, we need to step back and ask God what He's trying to teach us.
Final Thoughts:
Right now I'm struggling with a season of waiting. Sometimes it feels like that's all I've ever done and all I'm ever going to do, is wait. It gets really hard when I see people all around me doing the things I'm waiting for, getting to experience things I long to do. But God is teaching me through this season to enjoy the moments I have in front of me because pretty soon they'll be memories. It can be very frustrating at times, VERY FRUSTRATING, but during this season, God is showing me areas in my life that need to be strengthened.
How are you walking through your season? Do you find yourself getting frustrated? Do you feel like you're at the end of your rope? Give it to God. Be honest with Him. Tell Him how frustrated you are, how spent you've become. Ask Him for guidance, ask Him for wisdom, He'll give it to you! Ask Him to show you His purpose for this time in your life. And most importantly, LET Him work in you, only then can He work through you.
But here's a thought that I hope will encourage you:
Nothing except for God lasts forever.
There will be times when it seems like the season we're in won't ever end; good or bad (though usually, it's the bad ones), we feel that we'll be in that place forever. Something we have to remember, especially in the bad seasons, is it will pass. Eventually, we'll wake up and find ourselves on the other side looking back amazed at how far God carried us.
Unfortunately, there's no rhyme or reason as to how long our seasons will be, it varies for each person. But something I do know is God never gives us anything unless He has a purpose behind it. Whatever season you're in, you can be confident that God has allowed it to happen for a reason and that He will use it (and you) to further His Kingdom here on earth.
God is always working, always teaching, He weaves everything in our lives together to make us stronger. Often times He will lead you through different seasons of life that deal specifically with the areas in your life that need to be strengthened.
While this can be a painful process, we must remember, God never does anything or allows us to walk through something unless it will be to our benefit. However, our attitudes will determine the quality of the lesson we come out with. If we look at our situation with disdain and view it as a punishment, then we'll miss out on the knowledge God is trying to instill in us. It's hard, but in those moments when we just feel like throwing in the towel, we need to step back and ask God what He's trying to teach us.
Final Thoughts:
Right now I'm struggling with a season of waiting. Sometimes it feels like that's all I've ever done and all I'm ever going to do, is wait. It gets really hard when I see people all around me doing the things I'm waiting for, getting to experience things I long to do. But God is teaching me through this season to enjoy the moments I have in front of me because pretty soon they'll be memories. It can be very frustrating at times, VERY FRUSTRATING, but during this season, God is showing me areas in my life that need to be strengthened.
How are you walking through your season? Do you find yourself getting frustrated? Do you feel like you're at the end of your rope? Give it to God. Be honest with Him. Tell Him how frustrated you are, how spent you've become. Ask Him for guidance, ask Him for wisdom, He'll give it to you! Ask Him to show you His purpose for this time in your life. And most importantly, LET Him work in you, only then can He work through you.
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8(NIV)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
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