Lesson Three: Time & Patience
This has probably been the hardest lesson. I can change my attitude, my outlook and even my comfort level during this time...but I cannot change the amount of time it will take my foot/ankle to heal.
If patience is a virtue, I have not exactly been virtuous over the past four weeks. In actuality, though, patience is not just a virtue - it is part of the fruit of the spirit. I cannot call myself a follower of Christ, and yet not bear the fruit of His spirit. And you can't pick and choose - they are the "fruit" [singular], not "fruits" [plural]...so we must encompass them all.
I spent so much time praying for God to heal my foot in the first days after my injury. Every day I prayed. I began to obsess over it. I would say, "I just have to be healed. I cannot continue like this!". I thought maybe I wasn't claiming it strongly enough, so I would go to bed and say, "God I believe that when I wake in the morning, my foot will be healed." - it wasn't. I thought maybe I needed to spend more time in the Word, and in prayer, and then I would be healed. Not that it is ever a bad thing, but it was not specifically the answer. You see, I needed to accept my circumstances, and have patience. I needed to be patient...I needed to stop talking and listen...I needed to wait on Him.
God is fully capable of healing my foot. But I need to trust His timing. I have learned some valuable lessons in this time of "waiting". I have shared some of those lessons. But one of the most valuable lessons I have learned is actually about time - oh the irony!
How much time do I waste? I felt this nudging in my spirit. Ouch! This is tough - but the reality is, I waste a lot of time on things that really do not matter - watching t.v., being online, doing nothing of importance. Being stuck on the couch for the past few weeks, God really spoke to my heart about this issue. I have three beautiful children, I have a husband, friends, family and I have a church family. How can I not always find someone I could be blessing with my time? I am not saying that it is wrong to relax with a movie, or check your facebook...but not being able to take my kids outside to play on a beautiful day, or not being able to help my mom when she was in a car accident and broke her rib, really puts priorities into perspective. I realized that I don't want to waste so much of my life on silly, mindless things. I want to spend each moment really living...giving of my time to bless someone else.
And so I wait. My foot will be healed soon enough, and I will look back on this as such a small blip of time. But, I will take these lessons and apply them to my life. I will be patient and know that God is good, and He wants the best for me, and He is always faithful to His promises. And I am reminded of a promise from His word...
"Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all the He has promised."
- Hebrews 10:36
This has probably been the hardest lesson. I can change my attitude, my outlook and even my comfort level during this time...but I cannot change the amount of time it will take my foot/ankle to heal.
If patience is a virtue, I have not exactly been virtuous over the past four weeks. In actuality, though, patience is not just a virtue - it is part of the fruit of the spirit. I cannot call myself a follower of Christ, and yet not bear the fruit of His spirit. And you can't pick and choose - they are the "fruit" [singular], not "fruits" [plural]...so we must encompass them all.
I spent so much time praying for God to heal my foot in the first days after my injury. Every day I prayed. I began to obsess over it. I would say, "I just have to be healed. I cannot continue like this!". I thought maybe I wasn't claiming it strongly enough, so I would go to bed and say, "God I believe that when I wake in the morning, my foot will be healed." - it wasn't. I thought maybe I needed to spend more time in the Word, and in prayer, and then I would be healed. Not that it is ever a bad thing, but it was not specifically the answer. You see, I needed to accept my circumstances, and have patience. I needed to be patient...I needed to stop talking and listen...I needed to wait on Him.
God is fully capable of healing my foot. But I need to trust His timing. I have learned some valuable lessons in this time of "waiting". I have shared some of those lessons. But one of the most valuable lessons I have learned is actually about time - oh the irony!
How much time do I waste? I felt this nudging in my spirit. Ouch! This is tough - but the reality is, I waste a lot of time on things that really do not matter - watching t.v., being online, doing nothing of importance. Being stuck on the couch for the past few weeks, God really spoke to my heart about this issue. I have three beautiful children, I have a husband, friends, family and I have a church family. How can I not always find someone I could be blessing with my time? I am not saying that it is wrong to relax with a movie, or check your facebook...but not being able to take my kids outside to play on a beautiful day, or not being able to help my mom when she was in a car accident and broke her rib, really puts priorities into perspective. I realized that I don't want to waste so much of my life on silly, mindless things. I want to spend each moment really living...giving of my time to bless someone else.
And so I wait. My foot will be healed soon enough, and I will look back on this as such a small blip of time. But, I will take these lessons and apply them to my life. I will be patient and know that God is good, and He wants the best for me, and He is always faithful to His promises. And I am reminded of a promise from His word...
"Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all the He has promised."
- Hebrews 10:36
Comments
Post a Comment
I really appreciate your comment! I read every one and try to reply in a timely fashion. Have a blessed day :)