THOUGHTS TO DIGEST

"Patience," He says.

I bite my tongue, sit on my hands, and wrap my feet around the legs of an old chair.
I knew it would be a hard task to master, this patience, but I am determined to let the concept sink into my mind.

"Endure hardship as discipline."

This seems to be the recurring verse in my life. Hardships, not in the sense of physical pain or difficult circumstances, but in resting and knowing that He is God. I find that He has me in a holding room much of the time, seeing how willing I am to sit still for just one moment more. I'm like a dog waiting for her command (I can hardly believe I just compared myself to a female dog). I flinch every now and then, in my anxious stance, wanting to leap up and grab the treat that dangles just out of my reach, yet within my sight. However, my Master has not said the word, so I sit, eyes fixated on his hand and his lips, waiting for his "OK, now."

"For such a time as this..."

is one verse that I want to be associated with. Just as Esther, I pray for the boldness to go before One of such glorified influence and ask for the impossible to be made possible. I desire that I would hear, so clearly, the voice of The Father, that even in times of mass chaos, I would be able to decipher His telling me where to go and what to do. He has a thing for using incapable people, so I wait my turn.

"Do not be gripped by fear."

I remember when I first heard this one long long ago. I have to remind myself daily that He has not given me a Spirit of Fear, but instead a sound mind and His authority to cast out fear.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I'm six and I'm serving as extra weight on my dad's shoulders as "we" hike up some big mountain in Montreat, NC. It's the fourth of July and He's tired. All the while, I'm hitting him on the head, repeating this verse so that "we" can make it all the way back to the cabin.

"Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and all these things shall be added unto you."

How often I miss the key word in that statement. I seek first the Kingdom of Earth, so that with my priorities in line, I'll be able to seek the Kingdom of Heaven. Sometimes I'm slow....Not often, but it happens.

"Forgive."

Another chance to trust and understand His grace.

Sometimes it takes little effort to grasp these simple, yet profound truths. Sometimes it takes a little hibernation before you can face the grindstone again. I will stop there before the hibernation analogy turns into a migration sermon...