Patience part 1
If there's one thing my job has taught me--and to be sure, it teaches me things every day--it's that a little bit of patience goes a long way. When a situation is starting to get to point of escalation, a calm voice in the midst of the storm can do a lot to get things back to good. And, by the way, according to Luke 21:19, "In patience possess ye your souls." I like it even better in the Amplified Bible, "By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls." I think that's one of the biggest, and most unfortunate, effects of running around like a chicken with your head cut off; of trying (through works and labor) to earn something that can't be earned... You miss out on what you've already got. I think that's what Jesus was talking about when He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber" (John 10:1). He wasn't talking about somebody else robbing me. He was talking about me robbing myself! Because I tried to use a short cut. Because I tried to enter the sheepfold without coming in through the door. Jesus is the door. Our heart is the door. Because the sheepfold is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Love. That's why the way to LIFE (not heaven) is narrow. We say, "There's only one way to God" as if there's an elevator that either goes up or down. But Jesus actually said no man comes to the FATHER but by me. He wasn't talking about how to get to heaven. He was bringing heaven to earth. He was talking about how to have a relationship with our heavenly Father. And the only way to do THAT is by identifying ourselves as His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. The only way to know God as Father is to know yourself as Son. The only way to enter the sheepfold is through the door. Trying to get in any other way is you robbing yourself of the gift you've been given. And, listen, I know patience can be hard. Especially when things aren't going the way you think they should. Even Abraham, the father of faith, tried to take a shortcut to bring God's promise about. But it didn't work. Let me say it this way: God doesn't need your help. He WANTS your obedience. And by "obedience" I mean following your heart. Because that's where God lives. That's where LOVE lives and God is love. The hard part is when we have an idea of what's what and then we try to force that idea into existence. And, again, I'm not saying rest is inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. And when the Holy Spirit is directing you, nothing will be able to stop you! Because love is all-powerful. Which doesn't mean MOST powerful. It means ALL of the power. Nothing can stand against love. And, realistically, why would anything want to? Our part in all of this is trust God. Have faith in God. Believe God. Trust that He has a plan. Have faith that He can bring it to pass. And believe Him that it is worth waiting for. Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say. Good things take time. And that's why I always say, "If you want something different, do something different. Unless you're building something. In which case, stay the course." Have patience. Be steadfast. Endure. And in that way you shall win the true life of your soul!