Waiting...

Waiting. Another lesson I continue to learn is about waiting. I had a timeline for my life. An unspoken one but a timeline nonetheless. A few years ago, I began to see my precious timeline crumbling. All the plans I had made weren't turning out as I had hoped. But that's where the mistake is made. My hope was too securely wrapped up in an earthly hope rather than placed in the one true Hope of my Savior. I put too much stock in my own ability to plan my life. I didn't allow room for my Savior and God to make the plans, for Him to show me His best. So now I am learning what it means to wait on His timing rather than trusting my own perception of an ideal timeline.

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1

When the cloud remained...the Israelites...did not set out.

Numbers 9:19

Sometimes the "cloud" remains and we must sit and wait. And while I sit and wait I do the next best thing. Sometimes, the next best thing is trivial (or at least that's how it appears to me!) like doing the laundry or cleaning the house. Other times its helping with a kids outreach or taking an elderly couple to lunch. And while I do these things I learn to wait for what my heart desires, all the while trusting God for the best, learning day by day that He is much more capable of directing my steps than I am. (shocking, I know!) :)

And in this process, I am seeing His hand as He directs my steps. I am seeing His blessings and faithfulness. So even though this thing called life isn't always going the way I want it to go, I am choosing to rejoice and be thankful for my God, His faithfulness, and direction...and maybe while I'm waiting, the Lord is busy working in and through me to accomplish His perfect will in me! :)

Rise Up & Look: Our Lively Hope

Yesterday, I got home from the Rise Up Conference in St. Louis. The main focus of this conference was The Last Days and it was really an intense topic to try to tackle in a couple of days. Typically, when I've heard messages on the Last Days, particularly on our Savior's return, I get the feeling that the idea being communicated is a fear of the Lord's return and that this fear is to motivate me to be a "better christian". I was particularly encouraged by the perspective the speakers portrayed throughout the conference, one of HOPE as our motivator.


Joe Reese spoke on the Church in the Last Days. He reminded us that our salvation is not complete yet and that our hope is the consummation of our salvation, when our salvation is fully and completely realized when we are perfected in glory!

What do we know about our hope?
1. Our hope is unseen. It is real but is not seen and one day our faith will give way to sight!

2. Our hope is stabilizing. It is our hope that serves as an anchor and stabilizes our life.

Hebrews 6:19 "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast..."

3. Our hope is purifying. It is our hope that purifies and sanctifies our life. (more to come on sanctification in future posts)

4. Our hope is a confident expectation. Our Lord IS returning. It is imminent. And though we do not know the day or the time, we know that it WILL happen one day.

There are 3 principles which we can rest on through the Last Days:

1. Our faith in Him based on PAST personal experiences. We can hope today based on what God has done for me in days past. God has NEVER failed me and with confidence I can know that He will not fail me today because he did not fail me yesterday.

Daniel 3:17 As Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answer King Nebuchadnezzar "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and HE WILL deliver us from your hand O, king."

Based on their experience of God's faithfulness in the past, they could tell the king with confidence that they would be delivered from his hand.

2. Our faith in Him based on what He's done for others. We can look all around us and see the grace of God. Others bear witness to His faithfulness.

Mark: 5:22-36 Jairus was there when the woman with the issue of blood was healed. He was there and witnessed the power of the Lord.

3. Our faith based on His promises. I have hope today because God has given me promises in His Word. God's promises are like checks that are meant to be carried to the bank and cashed out. Based on the personal promise that He will return for ME, I will NOT give up and I will continue on!

Romans 4:18-25 "...He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform...Now it was not written for his sake alone...but also for us."

All in all, I was encouraged as I realized that I have a lively hope in looking forward to the day that my Savior returns for ME. Yes, He will return for ME as His redeemed child. What a wonderful and blessed hope! It seems to me as though this Hope and love towards the Savior is a much more effective motivator towards Godly living than fear. And, it is THIS hope that motivates my heart to strive to live a life that honors and glorifies His name.

The Lord's Faithfulness

I was recently reviewing some of my past posts and came across an entry from January discussing the fact that I was having to work some extra hours at work because of staffing shortages. Well, 6 months later the staffing shortage continues and I continue to put in a lot of hours but there is good news in the midst of it all.

It's been a time of growth for me, both spiritually and professionally. I've seen, again, the Lord's faithfulness in providing the strength I need to get through each day. Some days I have my doubts about my survival, but He hasn't let me down a single time! He is always faithful to provide the resources I need to get through the day.

Over the past months, as I've gone about the search for a new nurse, I've been reminded of how important it is to include the Lord in that decision making process. It can be so easy to be consumed with work and the secular modes of making decisions and recruiting staff. That process is soooo frustrating and after having hired and trained 2 nurses in the last 2 years, I was concerned about making sure the new hire would be an appropriate fit for our department, a fit that will result in a successful working relationship for all parties involved.

I've spent a lot of time praying for wisdom as I've interviewed various candidates. I prayed that I would find someone whose personality would fit with the team, who possesses an admirable work ethic, a team player, etc. I'm looking for a good employee. I prayed that the Lord would give me wisdom and discernment throughout the process.

He has been so faithful throughout the months of this process. There have been many wonderful candidates that have come along and for various reasons none of them have been able to accept the position. I've clung to the fact that the Lord is in control of this and when the time is right, He will bring someone along, the right someone that He wants me to work alongside.

And, He has answered my prayers. He has brought someone along that will be starting on Tuesday! I am so thankful to the Lord for providing and excited to begin to nurture this new working relationship! I am reminded that the Lord does not bring anyone along our path by accident and so I look forward to seeing what other exciting things He has in store in the months ahead!