I have yet to meet someone who likes waiting. The number of Amazon Prime next-day delivery members testifies to our impatient society. Paying more to get a product sooner has become a preferred lifestyle choice for over 200 million people. Horn honkers, foot-tappers, and irritated comments about the slowness of service seem to be more the norm than the exception, these days.
Do our impatient lifestyles reflect in our walk with the Lord?
Years ago our loving Lord showed me that ‘shopping’ allows the enemy to plant seeds of discontentment in my thoughts. A new sofa with fresh colors became more attractive than my well-used, faded, reliable, older couch. Bright and cheerfully colored orange, teal, mustard, and red dishes drew me to want to throw out my recently purchased brown plates and bowls.
Recently, I realized that home design shows were also planting seeds of discontentment in me. Thoughts of re-painting, and knocking down walls, this layout isn’t ‘good enough’ anymore were cluttering my previously content, cozy thoughts of our home.
Oh honey, what’s wrong?’ asked the middle-aged nurse when she saw the tear dribbling down my cheek. ‘It hurts so much,’ my voice weak from the anesthesia whispered. ‘Oh honey, let me give you something for the pain,’ she caringly responded.
The post-operative nurse saw me. She saw I had a need before I put it into words. She saw and she did something to relieve my pain, my hurt, and my distress.
Is your dream to start a cupcake business of the Lord?
Does the Lord want you to uproot your family from all they have ever known and move them across the country to take a promotion?
Does the Lord want you to take a position with less pay but would serve more people?
Is this the person your friend just introduced you to someone you are supposed to get to know and perhaps marry?
‘He’s mine, give him back to me,’ screamed eight-year-old Addy to her 15-year-old brother, Alex.
‘You have to clean my room first,’ said Alex.
‘Your room is nasty, I’m not doing it,’ declared Addy with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
‘Then you don’t get Teddy, your hamster back. He will live in my nasty room with all my cooties and germs and take a risk of getting sick, perhaps he’ll even die.’ Alex lifted Teddy’s cage high above his head so Addy couldn’t reach it. ‘That’s the deal one hamster for one clean room.’
Whether it is a team sport, individual sport, a spelling contest, or a raffle drawing, we all want to win! We eagerly hope our numbers are called, our names are announced, and the trophy is handed to our team. We don’t put those hours into practicing or improving our skills because we want to lose. We plan for, work for and seek victory!
The biggest bully of all is satan. The biggest name-caller of all is satan. Revelation 12:10 reminds us he is accusing us day and night. He has targeted our weaknesses and his target area is our minds. Bullies and satan are ineffective against people that are confident.
Do you remember playdough? Perhaps you even still have some? Playdough has always been a favorite activity in our home. Worms have been rolled, smiley faces have been made, triangle and oval shapes have been created. The playdough colors often get mixed together never to be separated again and we love what that represents.
Many of us will never have that opportunity. We will not have our day interrupted by a disaster, we will not have the opportunity to take a bullet for someone or give an organ that will save a life but take our own.
I heard someone once say that ‘air conditioning was to blame for our growing lack of community and neighborliness.’ Once we started getting comfortable inside with cool, humid-free air conditioning we stopped going outside. Instead of sitting outside on the stoop in hopes of a little breeze, to bring relief and refreshment we tucked ourselves inside, and consequently interacting with our neighbors became less and less.
