My first thought was:
“I don’t want to write about being “patient”.
Here is why. Anytime I have
spoken about being patient the sky falls.
You name it, it happens to me, around me and there is no stopping the
trials that word brings! However, here I
am so I might as well get on with it.
Perhaps you too are hesitant in reading about patience? When faced with this well-intentioned word we
try to avoid the issues we have. As we
look at being patient in a Christian context (it should be the same all the time);
balance is important. Achievements are a
result of patience and of course planning.
So, the two complement each other.
Our patience should generate plans that are engaged until achievement of
the plan is complete. Okay, patience
should be after the achievement as well.
The Bibles imperative is that we are to be patient. Not sometimes, not in specific situations and
certainly, but in every part of our daily life.
We will use the love chapter in 1 Corinthians as the basis for the next
few chapters. Becoming patient because
of love seems like a complex process.
However, there is so much in our life that would be better if we had a
life focused in patience.
I was also hesitant about writing this
chapter as it wants you to look at your achievements as well as your
plans. I have previously written that we
need to put ourselves aside and let Christ live through us. The same goes for enjoying your plans. It is not necessarily something to enjoy if
you are called like Jeremiah to prophecy doom and deportation for his entire
life. He was called to be a prophet
around age 13! So, the Desiderata states
that we enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Deciding to address these two elements we can
strike the fragile balance in our lives with both the writing and the Scripture
we are using. As such, achievements that
have been accomplished; have turned out positive and useful for ourselves and
others. Sometimes they have been God
ordered and sometimes not. Sometimes,
like for me, we embark on a plan of our own device and don’t achieve much for
Jesus. Sometimes we are called to action
that is unclear and somewhat scary and we hesitate and miss the “moment” the
action was called for. Far too much of
my life has played out with my plan as the blueprint of my life. My plans and my achievements are not
necessarily Gods. God’s plans and
achievements are what he desires for this world within we live. We can’t see, much less enjoy the world if we
aren’t focused on God. For this we must
use the attributes we have been discussing.
For this chapter we are looking at patience. God wants us to be patient, hear His plan and
give the glory for the accomplishments to Jesus. Remember, we are asked to give up our lives
and in return our lives become all about Jesus.
We are bombarded with choices daily. We choose as well as we can for the most
part. How we choose is very
important. If you would, imagine with me
that there are only two choices for us.
We will say they are Plan A and Plan B.
Plan A is God’s choice for us.
Plan B is our choice. Whenever we
choose Plan A, we choose what God wants for us and what he wants through us for
others. Whenever we choose Plan B, we
choose first to obey God and that choice is always less than what would have been. These choices of ours apply to others as
well. My decisions (good or bad) have a
ripple effect on those around me or those involved in some part of my life. Doubt me?
Imagine waking up one day and being paralyzed. “Dependent on others” takes on a whole new
meaning. Likewise, our choice of A or
B. I used to commute to work and would
ask God which way he wanted me to drive.
On the days I would listen the commute was good. On the days I didn’t listen, things were less
than good. What I found myself doing was
looking at the other commute choice from time to time and second guessing the
Plan A. Looking back on my experience
and knowledge I would use Steve logic to engage the Plan B. Have you ever heard someone telling the story
about how they were stopped from being able to do something only to learn later
that they had avoided being in an accident, crime, or other travesty? God has helped us stay safe so many times
that we could never list all of them.
His angels have also been sent on assignment to protect us. Keep in mind whether you are choosing Plan A
or Plan B throughout your day. Maybe
keep a journal so you have “proof” of what God has accomplished through your obedience.
I have had 18 or so vocations during my
lifetime. Most of them were chosen by
God for me. But not all were his choice;
some were mine. If we truly believe God
has a plan for us, then we shouldn’t shy away from looking at His plan. I do truly believe that God has a plan for
us. Sometimes the plan is shaped by our
simple obedience. In the simplest form
it maybe you feeling God wants you to buy the meal for the elderly couple
sitting a table away. You tell your
waitperson and pay the bill. Going away
from this leaves a good feeling within you.
All is good! We tend to look at
the simple and little things as no brainers.
Perhaps you have been asked by God to do something and you knew in your
heart that it was God who was talking.
For whatever reason you chose to not do the task. Going away from this experience leaves a
sadness in your spirit and soul. Both
examples exemplify the extremes mankind exercises to both do what God wants and
to not do what God wants. Both have a
consequence (positive and negative) and both will form how we engage that still
small voice God often uses to have his will come about. We are not a people who want to wait on God
for direction. We are not a patient
people. Wait as we should, most of us
will be off and running within the first 5 minutes of waiting. We call it multitasking. We call it not wasting time. We call it busy work. We call whatever we do instead of being
patient something else and then we call it good.
Anyone besides me run your schedule from
moment to moment hoping to fit in as much as we can and still not kill ourselves? I used to do that a lot, but God exercised
his plan to slow me down and take notice.
From time to time I get caught up in the moment and take over the plan
for my life. The results vary but are
always below the level that God had planned for me. Remember Plan A and Plan B. I’ll give you an example of both wills going
at the same time. I’m driving from San
Francisco, CA to Redwood City, CA and am going to barely be on time for an
important engagement. Way down the road
in front of me I see this car pulled over and a man outside of it looking at a
rear wheel. I heard very clearly that
small voice says, “stop and help the man”.
I tried to ignore the voice and drove by. The voice became more insistent with every
minute that passed. I took the next
exit, went past northbound, took the next exit and once southbound I stopped
behind the man. The man was still
looking at the flat tire. I asked him if
I could help. He said, “That would be
wonderful. I just had triple bypass
surgery.” So, I changed the tire, put
things away and in my silence asked God to bless this man. The older gentleman told me that he had
prayed for help as he had an appointment with his doctor to go to. Now he would be on time. My obedience even after the fact helped God
complete his plan for both of us. I was
reminded that it’s important to see His plan over my plan. I was also reminded that the obedience to the
voice may be the result of someone else needing help. And so, slightly humbled, I went to my
appointment for which I wasn’t late after all.
Within our hectic world people are
rushing all the time. They don’t seem to
have time for anything but the essential and sometimes not for that
either. Taking time to let God run our
lives is nothing more than a nice thought.
We live our lives more on the level where we expect God to use what we
are doing for whatever it is worth.
Living our lives can be classified in two categories. The first is the “active” model we live our
lives in a non-defensive way. We are action
oriented instead of reaction oriented.
This is the life surrendered to the one who is ordering our world. In this mode we relax, take time to pray,
seek God’s will, and listen. I wish I
could tell you that this is easy and something that I do every day. It’s not.
I’ve, so it seems, spent a lot of time instead of being on the offense
with God’s will; on defense with my will.
Living a reactionary life is just that; always being on the
defense. Missing first and foremost is a
sense of peace. Not just peace with God,
but also peace with others and yourself.
A sense of accomplish is also missing.
Have you ever felt you were just spinning your wheels? Are you the person hoping that something gets
cancelled so that you can get time to eat lunch? Perhaps you are the person that doesn’t want
to go home to someone who has been doing the same thing. Not to mention the kids who have demands on
your time when you get home. It is a
hectic world by out making. Divorce
rates are high, kids with problems are on the rise and medical problems have
skyrocketed with our hectic life style.
We don’t take time to eat right, exercise, and we certainly don’t take
time for what God may want for us. It’s
not a pretty picture. Many of you are
thinking, “And it’s probably going to stay that way.” Does it really have to stay that way? God doesn’t want us chasing anything but His
will.
We don’t have an escape module waiting
and ready for us. You may wish that you
did but it’s not so. Besides where would
you go to escape that which is inside of you.
It’s of your making and there has to be a solution from the
internal. I was trying to delete a
program in my computer the other day. It
has served its purpose and was now just taking up space. The uninstall process was in two
segments. However, I didn’t know which
one to uninstall first. So, it is with
our daily driven life as well. We don’t
know what to do first. It is at this
point that I would like to suggest one move you need to make. But make that move only if you mean to
address this choice and live a changed life.
What we need to do first is STOP.
That’s it. We just need to stop. I heard a mom in a mall one-day yell over her
shoulder to a small boy running trying to keep up, “If you don’t keep up I’m
just going to leave you here.”
Really? I hope you can see the
second part of the problem. We are not
alone. We have families, friends,
churches, work, and teams along with many other “good” activities and events in
our life. So, when we stop, what do those
other people and activities do? They
don’t just stop along with us. They yell
over their shoulder, “You had better keep up with us or we’re just going to
leave you here.” That, my friend, is the
best thing that could happen to us. Left
alone on the side of the road with a flat tire could be the best thing that has
happened to all involved. Do you know
what you will find if you STOP? You will
find others who have stopped as well.
Maybe people around you will decide to stop along with you.
When stopped, you enter a state of
rest. That rest allows our heads to
clear. Once clear we can come before God
and listen. Once listening we can be
patient because the world isn’t running our lives. It is then that we can hear the voice of God
loving on us and wanting to bless us.
We’ve come a long way in just a few pages. Perhaps you should take some time right now
to just rest and listen. But you didn’t
stop reading. You are going on with the
reading and thinking and missed the moment.
Why do we do this? What are we
thinking? Jesus has a message for us: “Don’t
think.” “Don’t do.” “Don’t move.”
Whatever is our choice; we are to not do that choice. If we do not stop, listen and rest, we have
not desired God’s input into our lives.
Remember that if you don’t feel close to God, it’s you who have
moved. “But,” you say, “what if…?” There we go, thinking again. It’s not that God gave us brains just to not
think. He wants us to think from His
perspective. He wants his thoughts to be
our thoughts. When we turn this around
we place ourselves on the throne and leave him sitting on the side of the
road. So, let’s take the first step and
just STOP and rest. The next step is to
listen. How can we hear the voice of
God? You may be thinking that I don’t
know what I’m talking about. Then listen
to God by reading his Holy Word. The
Bible contains everything we need to know, think or feel to be able to hear the
voice of God. When we rest we should
also pray. Remember ACTS from a previous
chapter? Adoration, confession,
thanksgiving and supplication. It’s a
very simple movement from Plan A to Plan A.
You thought I was going to say Plan B!
Stay in Plan A and watch God move.
How long should we STOP and listen? If it takes.
Look at the examples of this in the Bible. Godly people waiting on the Lord in prayer
have shaken this world time and time again.
Stopping and listening is not enough though. When God speaks, as he will, be ready to do
what he wants when he wants and how he wants.
If we hesitate, think about it, or put off the act for a better time, we
lose the moment. We lose the moment and
are unable to regain that moment. It’s
gone. If we are feeling impatient, we
are in charge. If we feel doubtful, we
are in charge. If we feel there is a
better choice, we are in charge. If we
are in charge we are choosing Plan B.
So, what are we to do? We’ve missed the “moment” and God’s Plan
A. What now? Are we to throw up our hands and just give
up? No, of course not. Are to realize that we have failed God (we
have) and let it create guilt in us for the rest of our lives? Not.
Here is the best part of this situation.
Whenever we choose Plan B, God places another Plan A in front of
us. We are given chance after chance to
choose Plan A. That is how good and
persistent God is with us. He wants us
to be blessed and to be a blessing to others.
So, whenever we choose Plan B, God shakes his head, says, “Steven,
Steven….” And sighs deeply. Then he
says, “Let’s try this again. Satan will
take my failure (your failure too) and try to use it to keep me ineffective for
God. How? By reminding us as often as needed that we
missed the mark. That we are no
good. That we won’t be forgiven. All of them a lie. When we approach God and confess our sins,
the Bible says, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” In another section of Scripture God tells us
that “He remembers our sin no more.” And
finally, God throws our sin away from himself “as far as East is to West.” Why didn’t God say from North to South? Because if you travel South around the world
you reach a point at the South Pole where you immediately start going
North. Not so following East around the
earth. You never get to East. Ever. So,
it is with our sins. They are no more.
We
are about to put the finale on this Scripture and its involvement with
achievement and plans. We can either
accept the truth or reject the truth. We
have the choice and will need to make that choice. If you and I choose to accept God’s truth we
are open to listening to him. If we listen,
we will be in right relationship with God.
If we are in right relationship with God, we will have a life filled
with his blessings on us and others.
When that happens the will of God takes place and God’s world, not mine,
keeps going. The more we practice this
pattern the more we come to have confidence in God and his plan. When his plan is accomplished people are
humbled before God and they choose to accept the free gift of salvation through
Jesus Christ and are saved from death and hell.
The more we become familiar with the ways of God, the more we will be
able to hear the voice of God. That’s
what we want when we are patient in the life He has given us. The result is we can see achievements and
plans as his and not ours. We can be
proud of that which God has done. The
other result is we will become better at being patient. I don’t think our free will choices will ever
really allow us to be patient in everything.
Celebrate the times that you are patient. It’s the healthy choice for everyone.
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