11/25/15: Be Honest – Patience is Tough
As we enter the end-of-the-year holiday season, I think back on being a child. It seemed to take Christmas so long to get here. Even so, I loved all the preparations that made the big day so exciting. Hunting for and finding the perfect live tree, and then helping Daddy center it in the tree stand so it stood straight and tall in our living room window. It was my responsibility to keep water filled in the stand so the tree would be fresh and safe through the few weeks it resided over the gifts. I loved decorating that tree, shopping for something special for each family member, wrapping those gifts, placing the mistletoe somewhere overhead, hanging the lights outside, planning the meal, helping Momma cook. Oh, I just loved everything about Christmas—except the wait. Patience was tough.
But now as I think about it, Christmas had to take that long every year or else all that went into making the day perfect wouldn’t have gotten done. The care we took to strategically place one piece of tinsel at a time looked much better on the tree than the just-toss-handfuls decorating technique. The buttery perfection of monkey bread could not be rushed faster than its two-day process. One shopping trip was rarely enough to locate the exact gift that would make each person’s eyes light up on Christmas morning.
As we enter the holiday season this year, let’s consider that the things for which we are desperately praying are like waiting for Christmas. We don’t know why God is taking so long to bring some things to pass, but we must trust that preparations are being made. The longer and more focused the prep, the better and more phenomenal the deliverance or healing or progress or change. James 5:7-8 encourages us to “be patient… See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
Christmas is coming; wait for that. Jesus’ answer is coming for your situation; wait for that. And ultimately, Jesus is physically coming; wait for that! In the meantime, let’s occupy ourselves by playing our part in the exciting preparations.
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