K

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of Him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” Psalm 37:7. Recently our internet went down for quite some time, and as you can imagine, our household was a little out of sorts. Our young children were introduced to antenna cable for a few weeks, and it was interesting to say the least.

They did not mind the content on the very few channels we received, but their little impatient hearts did not like the commercials. We live in such a “now” society that children, and even more so adults, expect instant gratification and instant results. We always skip through the pauses at our fingertips, but that capability is not an option when it comes to real life. Even still, many of us want to fast forward through the moments in life that aren’t going our way like waiting on test results, marital issues, financial burdens, health issues, and the list can go on and on. As stated in the verse above, we are to simply wait upon the Lord. Although my kiddos could have cared less about the commercials, sometimes those commercials are glimpse into the future and the world around us for which God desires us to see. I recently went through a little health scare myself which caused me to have to wait… a time of reflection, closeness with God and trust. It truly seemed like a commercial break in our lives because I felt as though the show could not go on until an answer was resolved. The resistance I had to simply be still in the midst of a pause was one of the greatest lessons I have learned in my faith journey. It took me to a place of gratitude and allowed me to put in perspective the things that mattered most – priorities I had neglected.

Friend, sometimes God allows the “commercial breaks” so that we can also put ourselves in the shoes of others going through a hard season – a lesson in compassion, grace and sympathy. Whatever the reason of your pause in life may you take that and use it for good by praying for another person who may be going through the same. I know we all want to just skip the tough parts and sometimes the boring parts to get to the promise whispered on our hearts, but the wait is often times truly the best part.

How could that be so? Well, if you are a child of God, you can rest assured that He is close. Our Father cares for us in every season of life and those moments of tough (patience) are but just a vapor of time to Him. In the next few weeks of this holiday season, I encourage you to intentionally pause to feel the presence of something greater than this moment. Take a second to consider that even in the chaos, the breaks and the valleys there is always an opportunity to sow into others and grow your spirit man. You don’t have to buy what the commercial is advertising (don’t come into agreement with) but we do have to wait patiently for it to pass.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10.

Blessings,

Kayla