#13 ~ "Hollllllllddd on!"

Have you ever went into a store and had to wait in a longggg line for a longggg time? Isn't it frustrating? And the worst part about it all is that you have no control over how fast the line will move and all you can do is stand there and wait. This is the same way it can feel in life. We can feel like "Ughhh I'll be single forever," "I'll be at this point in my life forever," "This season seems like it's going to last a lifetime" and every other similar thought that brings you down, discourages your heart and makes you feel burdened by life's uncertainty.

Dear heart, I will tell you that these feelings are common and everyone endures a time in life where you feel like you don't know what's going on and have no idea where your life is headed. It's okay. This is a moment where you must learn to wait. I know it's hard to hear and even harder to live out. However, you must learn the beauty of waiting and how to wait in contentment. The Bible tells us in Psalm 37:7, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" This scripture is extremely encouraging as it lets us know to wait patiently for the Lord and not be fearful, worried or consumed with the enemy and his plans. We belong to GOD and we are HIS. Therefore, he knows the plans he has for us and his plans WILL prosper if we trust him in everything that we do. 

In marriage, one of the hardest things is wanting GOD to move in a certain area of your life and not seeing the manifestation as soon as you would like. My husband and I prayed for me to get a job after my summer internship and the wait seemed to last FOREVER! I would spend days talking to recruiters, doing school work, and researching job opportunities. I was anxious to start working because I wanted to contribute to our household. However, the Holy Spirit showed me how much GOD is a GOD of timing. Ecclesiastes 3:7 says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." I started to look at my situation differently and asked the Lord what he wanted me to do with the time he had given me. I spent more time in my quiet time before the Lord praying, studying the Word, praising and worshipping. I also spent more time during the day exercising and taking care of our home. In the afternoon, I would start cooking dinner and prepare for my husband's arrival from home. So although I was anxious to work, I began to appreciate what the Lord was doing and how he was giving me time to do certain things for this specific season of my life. (Ecclesiastes 8:6 ~ For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him.) 

Another dilemma that we faced was my car situation. I have had my car for 8 years and it's a 1994 Honda Accord. I love Snow White (yes, I named my car) soooooo much because it was my first car and my mother purchased the car for me as a single mother. Thus, I was extremely grateful for the car and knew that I wanted to show my appreciation by taking extra good care of it for as long as possible. However, it is now 2015 meaning that Snow White is 21 years old and with older cars often comes more problems and more maintenance. This was demonstrated in Snow White not starting for my husband one day as he went to a meeting for work. It was surprising to me because I hadn't had any issues with her recently with not starting. However, this particular day she wouldn't budge. We checked the wires, the battery, and everything that could have possibly contributed to her not turning on at all...nothing was the answer! Immediately, we had Snow White towed to our mechanic and asked him if he could check the starter. He called us and gave us surprising news. He said, "I'm not sure what happened but Snow White is starting and your starter is fine." Whatttttt??!!! Why was my car not starting? Why did she cause our entire day to be turned upside down all for our mechanic to tell us such news? At that very moment of contemplating about the situation, GOD showed me a conversation my husband and I had a few weeks prior. In that conversation, my husband told me that he thought we should start looking at getting me a more reliable car sooner than later because he didn't want me to drive Snow White to work and get stuck due to her not being as reliable. I agreed but I still didn't wholeheartedly accept that I may have to get an alternative to Snow White because she was working just fine and had no hiccups thus far. However, I believe that the incident was GOD's way of telling me that it was time. 

I am now blessed and grateful because the Lord blessed my husband and I with a brand new vehicle that we both love and have named Judah! The word "judah" means praise and we know that our prayers, our worship and our praise are what allowed the doors to be opened for us to purchase a new vehicle. And it happened all in GOD's timing. We just had to hold on! 

Now please note that this blog post isn't intended to solely bring attention to financial troubles or dilemmas because marriage is filled with low moments in various areas. You may have been given a word from GOD and feel like, "Lord where is the manifestation of your promise?" I know there may be days where you feel low in various areas of your life: emotionally, mentally, financially and even physically. But trust GOD's plan and know that many times he's telling you to simply wait on him. He will give you strength while you wait and reveal to you more and more what his plan entails. Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Nuggets to remember:
1) It is perfectly normal to get frustrated and discouraged while you wait on the promises of GOD.
2) Cherish every season of your life and ask GOD what he's trying to teach you and produce in you in that season.
3) Know that GOD will provide for his children. He's a great father and he won't forsake you. Just hold on! He's coming to see about you and care for you.
4) Wait in contentment. While you wait, he's renewing your strength and revealing his plan to you. 

God Bless!
~ CW