See Where Antsy-Pants Will Get Ya

Yesterday, as I was encouraging a good friend to pray and wait on the Lord for answers to some serious questions about the direction and path for her life...  I realized, I am far better at telling others to wait on Him, than doing it myself!  What is wrong with me?!  I have seen God do unimaginable good in my life and in the lives of others... far exceeding ALL expectation EVERY time!  So, why won't I learn to wait on Him?

I have been praying about an ongoing glitch in my marriage...  sometimes it seems like a really big deal, other times it is just something that my husband does that frustrates me, and I in turn, frustrate him.  Although, in my pride, I struggle to see what he could possibly find irritating about ME!  Just kidding!  Surely God can bridge the gap and make things right, and we will live happily every after.  Yes He can, in HIS time!  I know this, but what could be taking Him so long?  I started thinking that maybe He was tied up with other things that needed His attention and He could use my help!  Feeling fairly confident that if I could hear the Lord audibly, He would say, "You've got this all figured out, and I'm on your side."  So, I decided to speed this whole thing up a little.   Besides, I figured if we got this out of the way we could move on and enjoy looking back on all the growing we had done because of my abundant wisdom...

I mustered all the tact and "truth in love" I knew how, and went and told my husband just how wonderful he WOULD be, if he would stop doing X, Y, and Z.  Completely expecting him to thank me profusely for my grace and wisdom in bringing this to his attention, I was blindsided when WWIII broke out!  I figured, if that was the way he felt about it, and if he was so ignorant not to appreciate my tact and constructive criticism, then  I would continue on and make things very plain and simple.  I'd spell it out for him without the warm fuzzies I had thoughtfully used to frost over his obvious faults.  And there we went... We started running in that vicious circle, like two hamsters in mad pursuit of nothing on the Wheel to Nowhere! 

Now, as I sit here and recall that verse that says, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..."  I realize that I didn't wait upon the Lord, and arguing out of my own strength completely exhausted my body and spirit.  I was wiped out, and so was my husband, with nothing to show for it except injured hearts, distrust, and a sense of loneliness.

Experience has shown me what can happen if I do wait on the Lord for His timing, and what can happen if I don't.  It is mind boggling, with the help of hindsight, that I continue to choose to rush ahead of God.  I liken myself to a dog out for a walk, who suddenly bursts out of its master's grip and heads right into the traffic of a busy street.  Disobedience, pride, impatience, it's all in there.  I think I am like God's "Marley and Me."  What a mess I can make in no-time flat, to the sheer bewilderment of those around me!

So, my hope and prayer is that I will be obedient to wait on the Lord when He calls me to, that He will give me the strength and self-discipline to do it.  He is ABLE, and a little duct tape over my mouth wouldn't hurt either!  Thank You Jesus, for Your patience with me, and my husband's too!  PRAISE GOD that He loves me just as I am, a work in progress!

Psalm 27:13-14  I am still confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 40: 1-3  I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.

Proverbs 28:26  He who trusts himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

Isaiah 30:18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him!