Waiting

Do you know the feeling of sitting in the church pew and you feel as though the minister is talking directly at YOU?! Well today was that kind of day for me at Crestwood. You feel you like you are being called onto the carpet, you might hang her head in shame or nod repeatedly because everything the minister is describing is you. Yet, you find peace after a sermon like that and gain a sense of hope and renewal.

Today Kory spoke about waiting. We are all waiting for something.You may be waiting for a baby, a proposal, a job offer, the return of a loved one from war, whatever it is we are all waiting for something. For Jace and I, our wait belongs to University of Florida. Jace sent in his application the first day it could be accepted, we recieved quick responses from UF saying they had all his documents and we should hear something back from them within 4 weeks. We are now starting week 6. The first four weeks, Jace and I didn't discuss it. We knew the time frame and were patient. The beginning of the fifth week, I started to get ancy. Had the letter arrived? Has Jace checked his mailbox yet? These are my thoughts each night. Our future lies within the contents of that letter and to say that I am ready to know where we will land is an understatement. Katie Keith is a planner and I am ready to start planning 2013-2014.

Yet in Kory's sermon he said that waiting is the hardest work of hope. In our culture we don't like to wait. Kory described how we get frustrated waiting for the microwave to finish heating up a meal as well as the second or two we wait for the car in front of us to go when there is a green light. I know I am one of those people he was describing. But in our rush of everthing we miss the blessing that is found within the wait period. Instead of wishing time away and trying to do things faster and on OUR time, we should put our entire trust in God and be on guard. We have to be on guard so that we do not miss an unexpected blessing.

I don't know what our unexpected blessing is just yet. We may not know until after we hear from UF and can reflect back on this waiting stage. What I do know is that my God is a provider and has a wonderful, beautiful, grand plan for Jace and I. May I learn to rejoice in the waiting and discover the blessings of this time. May I also rediscover the joy and anticipatin of waiting during this Advent season for Christ the King is coming. Amen and Amen.