Patience

Blame it on my personality or the culture in which I live, either way I am not very good at waiting. In a world of instant gratification, whatever I want to know is just a click away. Heaven forbid the internet is down or my phone is dead. I've always joked that God's goal for my life is to teach me patience. Well, here's one more opportunity to learn! As I've begun to prepare for my year abroad, I can't tell you how many times I said "If I just knew..." At first it was "If I just knew if I was invited to the discernment weekend." Then, "If I just knew if I was invited to continue," "If I just knew where I was going," and so on. These are not things I can look up on online! And of course there's the 'then'. "...then I could ask for the time off from work," "...then I could start fundraising." I did need to get the time off work, and I do need to raise $10,000. These are legitimate concerns, right?

I don't think it's a bad thing to want to know more. This is an exciting time and there's a lot to prepare. It's the worry that gets me into trouble. But I know that if this is something God is calling me to (and I think it is), then there is no need to worry. Everything will happen in good time - in His time, which is so different from my own. All I can say is it's a good thing God knows me so well. He tells us time and time again not to worry. One of my favorite biblical passages, and one that I keep coming back to, is from the sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells the people to look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. They don't worry about what they will eat tomorrow or what they will wear, but God cares for them. And if God cares for the birds and the plants, how much more does he care for us? The chapter concludes with some great advice, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6). And the Apostle Paul tells us how to keep from worrying. In Philippians 4:6-7 he writes "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

So as I continue through this process, and I start to think, "If I just knew what day I will be leaving," or "If I just knew what type of clothing I should wear," or whatever else comes up that I haven't thought of yet, I will be reminded yet again that there's no need to worry. For in the midst of uncertainty, we have peace through Christ!

Peace,
Becky