Today I was waiting for the bus.  I had nothing else to do, but wait.  There is a pressure inside of me that suggests I must redeem the time, I must use it well, I must be productive.  But I was stuck there so all I began to think.  I thought about “waiting”.  I began to contemplate  how Scripture depicts waiting as a good thing.  And how waiting was used by God to prepare people for some of the most important events.

David was a shepherd boy.  As a shepherd, David was in the field day and night doing what?   Waiting.  He waited for the sheep to graze, he waited for the day to end, he waited to move the flock forward.  That could not have felt particularly productive.  But the fruit of the waiting was a young man who knew with God he could defeat the giant.  Time spent alone   had given David time to contemplate God and to trust the One who proclaimed, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

David was anointed by Samuel, the prophet, to be king.  But David was left to wait   decades before taking over as king.  In the years of waiting he married, served in Israel’s army, and spent time in Saul’s household.

Moses was selected to lead Israel out of bondage.  He waited.  He had to grow up from infancy.  As an adult he killed one of the Egyptians beating an Israelite.  What was the consequence?  He ran away to a different land and though Moses may have thought he was hiding, God was waiting.  Finally it was time and God called to Moses through the burning bush.  God had a message for Pharaoh he wanted Moses to share.

Moses went to Pharaoh and shared God’s message and then he left to wait.  He went back and forth several times and had to wait often.  Finally Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites go.  And then he changed his mind… Israel saw God’s hand move mightily… and then they grumbled… Finally the Israelites worshipped homemade idols.  God’s answer?  The Children of Israel would wander in the wilderness for forty years… they would wait before entering the Promised Land.

Israel distressed God when Moses went on the mountain to be with God and receive the Ten Commandments.  God’s punishment was for Israel to wait and   wander.  But was that really punishment?  Or was it perhaps a solution?

When we wait and wait and wait what begins to happen within us?

Looking at the examples above, while we are waiting God is working to mature and grow us giving us the experiences needed to accomplish more.

Often we are aggravated with the slow down and the inconvenience.  But over time, we begin to feel our soul quiet.  We begin to seek what can be found in the solitude.  Perhaps we even begin to listen and hear the still quiet voice of God.  And sometimes in the waiting, we let God work,  or let our soul heal, or learn truths about ourselves.

I have been pondering the idea at a more intrinsic level.  If one is given much, there is an immediate demand of more to maintain, godliness.  For example, if one is very creative, one must use greater self-control to keep the creativity flowing in ways that are to the good of society, and not to the detriment.  We want hard work to be used to be productive in soceity, not used to be the best bank roober who has ever been  But beyond that, hard work can easily lead one to work to the neglect of family, faith or community.

If one is blessed with great empathy, one must use it  well.  Listening and understanding.  But much self-control is required to not take what is learned as an empathetic ear to not become a gossip.

Life is so much about balance.  Every good quality seems to have a negagive aspect to it.  In recognizing this, one needs to know… to whom much is given, much is required.

Right now I feel like I am on the ground with my head held down…recognizing I do not have any dominance.  Is God perhaps loving me enough to show me my boundaries?  Is He maybe, just maybe, showing Himself by not rescuing me?

However, the explanation that immediately came to my mind was Pain.  When a person lives in distress, anguish, or heart ache, for whatever reason, there is a desire to be out of the pain, no matter the cost.  Pain, by its very definition drives us to get free of it, at almost any cost.

Before the brain tumor/surgeries I could never imagine why a murder /suicide would occur.  Now, I can understand.

When the pain is so great, there is a need to escape the pain.  One knows if I kill myself, I will leave my family in too much pain.  The solution…

Okay, I am past that time.  But in a true, humbling confession, I now understand the thinking process that occurs.

What is the solution?  It will entail many, many things.  In all honesty, we as a society will never solve it all.  But, in as much as you and I touch somebody’s life, we should take time to do it well.  When you see pain in somebody’s eye, don’t ignore it.  Reach out and care.  You might be the one to save many.

Terry was a skeptic.  He had been around churches some and he was not buying what they were selling.  But, Terry was a very kind man and did not complain about toting Sara to church.  In fact, he stuck around a bit for the service so he could then take Sara home.  Over time, he realized the Shepherd was sharing a bit of a different message than Terry had heard before. The Shepherd was not searching for more money in the offering plate, nor was he trying to guilt people for anything.  Instead, the Shepherd was sharing about a God who loves so much He was willing to bridge the gaps between Himself and them.  God sought relationships, He did not seek to trash them.  He is a God of forgiveness and reconciliation, not a God of condemnation.

Terry heard that message and he became interested in knowing that God of Love.  Terry became involved in serving at the church.  He participated in the worship services (he was easily spotted tapping his foot to the music on the front row).  Terry changed.

And then Terry came to the Shepherd with a need.  He had been diagnosed with lung cancer.  He sought medical treatment and prayers.  Which one worked, who knows, who cares.  God gave Terry another ten years to love and seek Him.  And Terry used that time well.  A man always noted for his kindness changed to a kind man with purpose.

I reflect.  I don’t pretend to understand God miraculously intervening.  When, why, or how He does.  But as I look at the extra days Terry was given, I rejoice.  And now that Terry gets to be in the Presence of God, I think of Paul’s words “²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-football-jay-norvell-uses-nfl-experience-to-attract-talented-receivers/article/3719622#ixzz29bEGgMrE

Jerry Rice set many of the NFL receiving records.  He played at the highest level of football for nearly 2 decades.  I take his quote as a challenge for the Church — we need to work to do the little things better than anybody else.  At least the little things that apply to our purpose.  If we are seeking to love God, it should be demonstrated in the little things.  If we are loving people, we should do it in the little things.  All the little things allow us to do the Big thing really well.

However, I think what is more damaging than the fun ending is what is said by not playing.  When you don’t participate, you communicate, “I don’t want to play with you. You are not worthy of my time or efforts.”

When I say to my daughter, “I love you,”  if she does not acknowledge my gesture, she does communicate.  But it is a communication of indifference, or even worse, a rejection.  When I share a confidence with a friend, I am telling her, “I trust you with this piece of me. I am trusting you to keep it safe and I am hoping you will make me better for having this piece of me.”  If she says nothing, I do not know if she understands that with which I have entrusted her.  I begin to doubt – maybe she will not hold it as carefully as I had thought.  Without feedback, I do not know.

The sharing of real self requires a response from the hearer.  Otherwise it is a one-sided relationship destined to deteriorate.

Qutestions are being asked about Welker’s playing time.  Is the team situating themselves to build up the replacement?

This is business in football.  In football, decisions are made on football .  Those fundamentals include team morale, the aging process, gaining/maintaining fan interest, and excellence on the field.

Notice the fundmentals are not the same as the Church’s fundamentals.  In the church, you don’t make decisions for the good of this week’s service or the popularity of the Church.  Instead, the Church is about rightousness, holiness, loving God, loving people.

The Church cannot be confused with a business.  Football is a business… it about making a profit.  The Church is not about profit but about connecting people to their Creator and to one another.

Love.  Okay, but what does that look like?  I stumbled upon the idea of purpose/value and security or safety.  Feeling like you are wanted and belong.

I realize my definition comes from my own current struggles.  What Iseek most right now is purpose and safety.  Is that the same for all or does it vary by where we are in life?  There is a fundamental need to feel safe and vital.  Some of us fulfill that need at work, community service,or home.  Is it a vital  in the Church?