Waiting, Not Worrying

Each morning, I walk into my backyard thinking, "Maybe this will be the day!"  As I approach the tilled ground, I peek underneath and around and over the plants covered in big, beautiful, succulent peppers.  Anyone in their right mind would be elated to see so much glorious green fruit weighing the plants down.  That is, unless they were waiting for those green globules to turn yellow or red...and that's what I'm doing...waiting.

I have been waiting for a really long time.  At least it seems that way.  Sometimes, I get impatient and just go ahead and pick a pepper that I think MIGHT be turning.  I know I need to be patient and that patience will pay off, but it sure is difficult on my mental state and my stomach!

Gardening reminds me of life.  Sometimes things don't always move along as quickly as I desire.  I must wait.  But in that waiting, I can choose to grow anxious and pick the fruit early, or be patient and wait for the sweetness of maturity.

Ps. 37:7-8 says, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him, Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.  Do not fret - it only causes harm."        

God's perspective on this issue of waiting is to do so, patiently and without worry.  After all, worry only causes harm (v. 8).

So how in the world do we "not fret" while we wait?  The answer is probably something that you and I already know, but doesn't come to us very easily.  We are to rest in the Lord - trusting He knows best.

I feel like I write that phrase a lot, and I probably do.  However, I don't know about you, but I need to be reminded of this phrase...and reminded a lot!  "Do not worry Belinda - Trust Me. Believe ME when I tell you that I have it under My care and My control, even when it looks futile.  Don't get angry at Me for being slow in your eyes or angry at anyone else, either.  Those emotions only hurt, not help.  They cause no good thing to happen.  Trust me, Belinda...I've got this."

I don't know about you, but those verses make me want to have a "hands off" policy regarding my life and my peppers.  I will trust and not worry.  I will wait and be patient, confident that God can not only handle my every day frustrations and cares, but also the color my peppers.

Thanks God.  Thanks for reminding me to trust You in all things...to rest in Your will...to not worry over what You already have in Your hands.  Thank You, Father.  

Leanness

The uncomfortable scenes are meant to grab our attention, forcing us to fumble for our checkbooks and move into action.  And for the most part, these pictures of malnourished children, waiting in long lines for a tiny bowl of rice, do just that.  

Some of these children are dying. Some of them are simply lying in their mother's laps, with tears falling down their cheeks, waiting for relief...relief that may or may not come.  

They're starving - extremely malnourished - not able to function as normal children.  Their bodies won't let them.  Instead, these little people who should be spending their days full of energy and life are resigned to a life of misery - stricken with their physical leanness.  

You can see it, too.  There's no way to hide it. No amount of clothing can hide the sunken eyes, tiny limbs, and protruding, bloated belly.  It's truly heart wrenching.    

There is another type of leanness, too.  Like its counterpart, it can affect large groups of people at one time.  It can't be hidden with clothes, and it is indeed, deadly.  It steals energy and vitality and those affected by it, simply lose their effectiveness.  

However, this type of leanness (starvation) cannot be cured with a checkbook.  Simply throwing food and money at a telephone number on the screen won't make this go away...for this leanness is not physical.  It's spiritual.  

Psalm 106:15 says, "And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul."  This passage speaks about what happened to the Israelites as they griped and complained before God.  They accused Him of NOT giving them what they needed, while traveling through the wilderness.  On the contrary, God gave them everything they "needed."  He gave them a wafer called "manna," which daily supplied all their dietary needs.  

However, they got tired of it.  They didn't want manna.  They wanted meat - something of substance to sustain them.  Basically, they decided what God had for them, wasn't good enough for them.  

So, IN their selfishness, God supplied with them meat.  But BECAUSE of their selfishness, He sent leanness to their souls.  

You know, sometimes, we are pretty pitiful.  We stamp our feet at God like three year old's, demanding He give us what we want.   We tell Him that what He has for us, isn't good enough.  We want more.  

And that's when it begins - the wasting disease - the leanness.   Before we know it, our spiritual bodies begin to look like and exhibit the characteristics of those with the physical malady.  We become powerless.  We become unable to perform the tasks that God created us for.  We become hopeless and unable to help ourselves. In our desperation, we may even want to hide our starvation from those around us, but to no avail.  They see it.  It's obvious.  It's evident.  It's unavoidable, when we choose to turn our eyes away from Him and focus on ourselves.   

I cringe at the thought of my spiritual life emulating the graphic pictures of starving children.  And yet, it does, when what I WANT, becomes more important to me, than what He wants.   

So how do we fix this?  How do we "fatten up" again?  

We choose to truly follow Christ - to be satisfied with Him, and Him alone.  We immerse ourselves daily in His Word, spending time with Him in prayer, so that we can actually find out what He desires, instead of assuming that our wants are His.  We must be content with the outcome of His choices for us...whatever those may be.  

And as we begin to become spiritually healthy again, all of those lean characteristics begin to disappear.  We gain energy and stamina to be who God created us to be.  Our thoughts become more aligned with His thoughts, restoring our relationship.  We begin to see what went wrong and how to avoid the leanness again. 

Praise be to the Lord, Who knows what is best for us and will give it to us, if we but ask.