Wait on the Lord?!

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!  -Psalm 27:14

Waiting sucks.  Yes, I am aware that this is a very juvenile statement, but sometimes that is just the best way to describe it.  Waiting sucks.  The definition of the word wait, is "to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens."  What?!  Who wants to do that?  No one.  

Especially in today's culture, waiting is just not something we do well.  I sometimes believe that is one of the reasons I am late for everything.  I hate being early and having to wait on something or someone.  So when I received my email telling me what the "Verse of the Day" was, I couldn't help but sigh.  "Wait on the Lord." 


When you are single, "waiting" is a word that you learn well. I see my friends and peers around me get married and have families and there is a part of me that grows in frustration because for the first time in my life, I want that, but I am no where near it.  There are countless times that this bothers me. There are moments where I want to be that annoying kid that just lies on the ground and screams and hits my fist to the ground until my parent just gives in and gives me what I want.  But that was never something that worked for my parents, so I know it definitely would not work on my heavenly Father.

As I grow older though, I am realizing more and more the value of waiting.  It's usually a quiet time when you can sit and reflect on thoughts, events or even just a few moments of peace where you don't have to think about anything.  It's in those moments that you really get to know yourself better.  For myself, these are the moments when I realize there are goals that I want to accomplish.  Goals that I have a habit of pushing aside when there is a man in the picture, but when I'm 100% on my own, then there is nothing to distract me.

I can't forget the rest of the verse though, "...be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart." My strength is given to me by the One that created me, as well as the rest of universe.  It will never run out, no matter how many times I feel it has.

Oh and just in case I forget (which I usually do), there it is again..."wait, I say, on the LORD."

Accepting Love.

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

When I heard this, it struck a cord.  I believe it to be true.  We think we deserve a type of love and care, so we settle for it, or we go from person to person looking for it.

The truth I find hope in though, is that God already gives us the love that HE believes we deserve.  He sent HIS Son to die for us.  Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  

It's the ultimate love, love in it's truest form.  A love that has no selfish ambitions because it is a love that gives up everything.  It's a love that leaves perfection behind, goes to Earth where there is evil, hate, lost of innocence and so much more, dwells there for 30 some years, and then goes through the most horrible torture and death, for everyone that has ever and will ever be alive.  God's love for us is the truest, purist love that has and will ever be.  He even loves us knowing there would be some that would never reciprocate that love as well.  Jesus died for all.

So yes, we accept the love that we think we deserve.  The thing is, what we deserve is not what God has given us (we'd be in trouble if that were the case).  He has given us something infinitely better.  The creator of the universe has already given us the type of love through Jesus Christ, that only He can give... true, pure, unbiased, everlasting, forgiving, grace-filled love.  If we accept that kind of love into our lives, then we might be able to begin to understand what love really is.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting live.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that would through Him might be saved."