I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait
(While I'm Waiting, John Waller)
These lyrics have touched my heart this past week. Sometimes, waiting is a choice. We have the option to wait on the Lord or to forge ahead with our own plans when His lag behind "my" schedule. But sometimes, waiting isn't a choice. A friend is waiting for the Lord to answer her prayers for a child; there is nothing she can do to "make it happen." She must wait on the Lord.
But these lyrics don't just touch on a willingness to wait - they also touch on the attitude of waiting. There is a willingness: "though it is painful, but patiently I will wait" (the second verse says "faithfully I will wait"). Waiting is hard. And, yes, often painful. It can be painful to watch friends younger than you marry and have children while you are still waiting for God to provide a spouse. "But patiently...faithfully... I will wait."
Yet the attitude of waiting in these lyrics go beyond that. They are also active. "I will move ahead bold and confident, taking every step in obedience. While I'm waiting, I will serve You... I will worship... I'll be running the race even while I wait." I love that the "moving ahead" is only in obedience. Sometimes, even as we wait, there are steps we need to take that are steps of obedience. I have to ask myself: am I rejoicing with those who rejoice? Am I being faithful in my relationship with God? Am I being faithful to pray for others and not just about my own dreams and desires?
Am I serving God in and through my waiting? Am I worshiping God in, through, and because of my waiting?
"I'll be running the race even while I wait." I deeply desire to be faithful to God as I wait. I may be waiting for a spouse. And maybe at some other time in my life, I might be waiting for a child or a job offer or who knows. But even while I'm waiting for one thing, God has a task for me in the meantime. I want to run the race He has set before me, serving Him with a heart of worship.
January 6, 2011
January 3, 2011
Relaxing Productivity
It seems like an oxymoron. But there is something about scratching off items on a to-do list which can bring such a great relief that I finish the day feeling relaxed and refreshed.
Today was such a day. I am sure I lost count of the loads of laundry I completed - towels, blankets, sheets, clothes... Last terms' notebooks were emptied and the notes were filed away. Summer shoes were packed away for the winter (I still needed them when classes started in August!) and scarves were pulled out. It was a highly productive day!
On top of that, I also was able to stop by my grandma's and visit her for a couple hours this afternoon. With my mom we munched on coffeecake and grandma gossiped about church and her family and reminisced the wonderful days she used to share with grandpa. Its good to have her home and out of the hospital.
What makes a day like today, which was so full, feel so relaxing? On the one hand, I think it feel relaxing because, at 6:30 in the evening, I can relax with a days' worth of tasks completed. Additionally, I can also look at tomorrow and tomorrow's list is extremely shorter than today's list was! Its a breath of fresh air to have accomplished so much. It is a day which was filled with relaxing productivity.
Today was such a day. I am sure I lost count of the loads of laundry I completed - towels, blankets, sheets, clothes... Last terms' notebooks were emptied and the notes were filed away. Summer shoes were packed away for the winter (I still needed them when classes started in August!) and scarves were pulled out. It was a highly productive day!
On top of that, I also was able to stop by my grandma's and visit her for a couple hours this afternoon. With my mom we munched on coffeecake and grandma gossiped about church and her family and reminisced the wonderful days she used to share with grandpa. Its good to have her home and out of the hospital.
What makes a day like today, which was so full, feel so relaxing? On the one hand, I think it feel relaxing because, at 6:30 in the evening, I can relax with a days' worth of tasks completed. Additionally, I can also look at tomorrow and tomorrow's list is extremely shorter than today's list was! Its a breath of fresh air to have accomplished so much. It is a day which was filled with relaxing productivity.
January 2, 2011
The Power of Music
My heart was heavy this morning.
Sometimes my heart is heavy and my soul weighed down and I don't know why. That was this morning.
As I was getting ready for church, I decided to turn on some music. I love preparing for my day with music - not necessarily worship songs, but simply worshipful songs. It just starts my day on the right foot. It puts my life into the perspective of God's goodness. Unfortunately, I am rarely able to do so without waking up the entire house. But this morning I was home alone, and turning on the music while I got ready was just what I needed to take the weight off my heart and lift my soul.
In moments when I feel heavy, I've found that the most helpful thing I can do is to begin to worship. It may not begin in my heart, but as I sing out a joyful noise to the Lord, my heart begins to follow. The words become intimately true as I exalt God for who He is. God is who He is, regardless of my circumstances. It is the power of music to not only remind me of that, but also to wipe away my circumstances as I narrow in on God's undefinable presence.
Sometimes my heart is heavy and my soul weighed down and I don't know why. That was this morning.
As I was getting ready for church, I decided to turn on some music. I love preparing for my day with music - not necessarily worship songs, but simply worshipful songs. It just starts my day on the right foot. It puts my life into the perspective of God's goodness. Unfortunately, I am rarely able to do so without waking up the entire house. But this morning I was home alone, and turning on the music while I got ready was just what I needed to take the weight off my heart and lift my soul.
In moments when I feel heavy, I've found that the most helpful thing I can do is to begin to worship. It may not begin in my heart, but as I sing out a joyful noise to the Lord, my heart begins to follow. The words become intimately true as I exalt God for who He is. God is who He is, regardless of my circumstances. It is the power of music to not only remind me of that, but also to wipe away my circumstances as I narrow in on God's undefinable presence.
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