I (Nicole) don’t know about you, but patience just might be the biggest struggle of mine. I’ve always been the girl with a mile long list of life plans. Since I was a little girl, I have “known” when everything would happen and how my life would go. But, like it so often happens, God’s plan has been different than my plan. And, to be honest, it has frustrated me. What if we want something that’s GOOD? Maybe you want God to move in your marriage, in your friendship, or in your work place. Surely God wants that, right? Absolutely!
God wants good things for you (Jer. 29:11), but those things might not happen in the way that you imagined. I was talking to a friend recently and as she told me about a current situation she was in she said this, “I just rest in the fact that God is helping me to pour into her the way he wants me to, even though my way would be drastically different.” Wow. What truth that holds. Even though we may want the same things that God wants doesn’t mean that those things will happen when and how we want them to. From the words of Paul in Romans 11:18 “You are just a branch, not the root.” God is the only one capable of making the decisions. He is the root. He is the one that knows all. We just grow out of him and without him we couldn’t grow on our own. Oh, what a vital thing to remember. Just the other day I had to remind myself, “Nicole, you are NOT God!” It seems simple and silly, but so often my actions don’t say that He’s God. They say that I try my hardest to do his job.
Waiting on his will is something I struggle with and it can be a place of discouragement for me. But, if we are planting good seeds, there is no need to be discouraged! Check out what Galatians 6:7-10 say…
Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.
If we continue to plant in response to what God is calling us to do, we WILL reap the harvest… at the right time.
Are you discouraged that you don’t see God working in the way that you’d hope? Maybe God has different plans for that situation. Maybe his plans are BIGGER and BETTER for the plans that you have for yourself. Keep sowing the good seeds. Keep doing what the Lord wants. You will harvest the good crop exactly when the Lord planned it.
Having patience is hard, but it’s worth it.
Don’t be discouraged. Keep planting seeds.
What an awesome post!! So thankful for our friendship!!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! Totally hit the spot for me and what's happening in my life right now! Jer. 29:11 has popped up for me today so many times! What a great reminder! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI needed this today!! And you know exactly why ;-) Favorite part: If we continue to plant in response to what God is calling us to do, we WILL reap the harvest… at the right time! SO true, yet so hard to understand sometimes.
ReplyDeleteLove you!!
Patience is often the hardest fruit for me. My husband and I both struggle with this when making plans and waiting for the Lord's will. This is especially true with our careers. We want to have jobs where we feel strongly called. And we have to remember that God put us where we are for a reason. I take comfort in the song, "While I'm Waiting." ..."I'll be running the race, even while I wait." So important to remember!
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