The Waiting Place

"You can get so confused

that you'll start in to race

down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace

and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,

headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place..." 

Who knew a children's book could be so insightful?  Thank you, Dr. Seuss for that snippet of wisdom today!

If you couldn't tell from that little passage I love words - reading them, writing them, speaking them.
Words are powerful.  In fact, the Bible warns us that the power of life and death lies in the tongue.  In case you're missing the parallel, the tongue produces words.  Anyway, this love of words often allows certain quotes, sayings, and conversations to become embedded in my mind.  It's uncanny how they surface at the most unlikely times. 

Today I have been replaying a conversation I had with one of my former roommates.  I can't remember where we were, the context of the topic, or even when this all went down.  I just remember her saying that as children of God, we are a people in waiting. 

 Yes, we are waiting to meet a mate, start a family, change careers, or even to be healed, but more than that, we are waiting on our Savior to return.  We will always be waiting because, PRAISE GOD, this earth is not our home. 

I'm in a season of waiting.   I'm waiting on a particular circumstance to change.  Before you go circling your wagons, nothing is wrong.  We're not talking about moving or adding to our family.  This has nothing to do with my marriage.  It's not even necessarily a big "change."  It may be as simple as an attitude adjustment. In any case, I'm waiting, and I hate waiting!!

I'm no good at it.  I'm an "all or nothing" kinda gal.  I see things in black and white, and waiting kinda throws a spur in that mentality -especially, when you aren't sure what you're waiting on.  I know this is vague and it might was well be written in Swahili since most of you have no clue what I'm waiting on, but I'm sure you can relate in some way.

I tried singing "I Surrender All" this morning, but that didn't work.  To be blunt, I'm not ready to surrender my plans.  I'm trying, desperately, but fear keeps me holding back. Ugh!  Maybe that will be tomorrow's topic.  So when the words to "I Surrender All" didn't produce a revival in my soul, I turned to the ever so trusty Gaither Vocal Band .

Yes, I know I'm lame.  I'm very much aware that I am probably the only twenty-something on the planet (minus my siblings, of course) who has watched every Homecoming (on VHS no less) and knows all the words to all the songs.  Boring, but gosh golly, those lyrics sure do stick with me.  Before you judge, please remember my love of words.

Back to the point.  I have found great comfort today in singing this old favorite:

I'm only human I'm just a man
Help me to believe in what I could be and all that I am
Show me the stairway that I have to climb
Lord for my sake teach me to take one day at a time.

One day at a time sweet Jesus that's all I'm asking from you
Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do
Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine
So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time.

Do you remember when you walked among men
Well Jesus you know if you're looking below it's worse now than then
Pushing and shoving crowding my mind
So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time.

One day at a time sweet Jesus that's all I'm asking from you
Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do
Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine
So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time.

Yes, just for my sake teach me to take one day at a time...

So, I just noticed when I googled the lyrics (because I'm too lazy to write them) that Merle Haggard sang this.  Who knew? This post has kinda been all over the place and that's ok.  If you've made it this far, THANKS for reading.  Ha!  

Actually, if you've made it this far, I hope you'll find comfort in this season of waiting. Whether you're waiting on a spouse, a baby, a career change, healing, an answered prayer, SLEEP, a wayward child...my hope is that through Christ you will be renewed, and that you will be able to know his good, perfect, and pleasing will for your life.   The hard part is waiting and taking it one day at a time.