I have never been fond of waiting rooms....especially when it comes to going to the doctor. Because of my health history with cancer, and other things, I have spent my fair share of time in these prison-like rooms, waiting for my name to be called. Sometimes it comes quickly, if I'm lucky, but many times in the past, it has often been after way too much time has passed. It is something that is out of my control, and it often leads to frustration. In those situations, I don't always respond with gratitude, or thankfulness naturally; but I have been learning more and more about how God likes to use these times in our lives for our growth.
As you know, we have been funded since March, and we are still waiting on my work permit to come through before we can leave. We never saw this coming, and we certainly weren't planning on still being here waiting this long. I have to admit, at times we do get frustrated and discouraged, but there have also been times of growth and gratitude for the time He has given us right now.
Waiting can be a good thing.....it teaches us dependence on God, and it often helps grow us spiritually. Our natural human response is to get frustrated, but God can turn that frustration into peace if we let Him. A verse that Stephanie has written down above our kitchen sink is, Philippians 4:11b, "for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Also in verse 12b, Paul again says, "I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation." So obviously contentment isn't a natural human response, but the key word there is, "learned." It can be learned! If you think of what Paul went through in his missionary life - beatings, prison, shipwrecks, and horrible persecution; he was still content and praising God! So how can I be impatient and frustrated, when what we are going through right now is so much less difficult than those things? Well, it may not be easy, but contentment with the situation you are facing can be practiced and learned. After all God is in control and His timing, His strength, His provision, His plan, and His grace are perfect, timely, and sufficient!
Last week we had the opportunity to be a part of the Iowa Holiness Camp Meeting in Oskaloosa. We were the missionary speakers there last summer, and we all loved it so much that we decided to go back again this year since we had the time. One of the main takeaways from this great week of teaching, was growing more in understanding of the Holy Spirit. After all, why did Jesus tell His disciples to wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them before going out into the world with the gospel? Well in one great analogy, it would be like trying to push your car under your own strength to get to where you wanted to go. You need the power of the engine, if you want to get where you are going. That is the same with the Holy Spirit, it is the power that can sustain us, and we desperately need to be filled with it! Did you know that the Hebrew word for Holy Spirit, can be translated in 6 different ways in our English language? Here are the six ways: The Helper; The Counselor; The Comforter; The Teacher; The Encourager; and The Advocate. I don't know about you, but I need all six!
So what do the last two paragraphs have in common, you might ask? Well you may have been wondering after the former paragraph; how do I go about "learning" to be content in all situations? The latter paragraph I hope, should point you to the One who can do that! No matter what we are going through, whether it is uncertainty, frustration, loss, the unknown, or the next step to take in life, we have someone who is there to help us, counsel us, comfort us, teach us, encourage us, and advocate for us on our behalf, if we surrender our lives completely to Christ. It is only then, by emptying ourselves of ourselves, that the power of the Holy Spirit can fill us, and help us overcome!
Maybe you have been a Christ follower for years, but have never totally surrendered your life completely over to Christ? I know I was in this boat for the first several years of my walk with Christ. I wanted Christ, but I still wanted things my way, with my plans, my control, on my terms. I wanted the best of both worlds, but it wasn't until I completely surrendered my life to Christ that I started truly growing in my walk with Him. Galatians 2:20 puts it very simply: "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." If we truly want to call ourselves disciples of Christ and take up our cross and follow Him, let us make sure we have nailed ourselves to the cross first, so that the Holy Spirit can fill us with power!
As always let us know if you have any questions, or prayer requests. I hope you will be encouraged and uplifted as we have been, by what God has been revealing to us lately. We will be right here with you in the waiting room!
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