Engrossed in the books lining the shelves of my favorite book store, I didn’t see  her standing there. Truthfully, if I had, I may have timidly turned and gone the other way before she spotted me.   The leader of our very large Bible Study group, she is  a woman I deeply respect and admire.  The depth of her wisdom and her ability to communicate it have  ministered to me in ways that can’t be measured. Our eyes met. She smiled, “Hi Linda. How are you?”  My dumbfounded response was, “I can’t believe you remember my name.”

I believe there  is a yearning in every heart to be known – a recognition of our worth. How else to account for this counting of comments and followers, the posting of videos and pictures, the recording of even the smallest of events in our daily lives. A simple record of our family’s history can suddenly take on a life of its own – a competition with huge numbers the reward.

See me; notice me; approve of me. It is the cry of the human heart. We fret when we think we have somehow failed; when we feel small and less than everyone else. We try harder.  It is a game we cannot seem to win.

The great Creator sees the longing in our hearts and whispers the ancient words. “You are mine. I love you. I love everything about you. You are perfect in my sight because I see you through Him. You don’t have to do one single thing to win my approval. You already have it. ”

Who can take it in? This One, who placed the stars in the heavens and knows each one by name. This One who spoke and the worlds came into being. This One who holds all things in His hands – hands that span the galaxies. This One who is greater, higher, wiser, more powerful than our minds can take in – He knows your name.

There is a song by Tommy Walker that speaks about this miraculous love:

He Knows My Name

I have a maker, He formed my heart

Before even time began, my life was in His hands.

I have a Father, He calls me His own

He’ll never leave me, no matter where I go.

He knows my name; He knows my every thought.

He sees each tear that falls, and He hears me when I call.

 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear His voice, and He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

John 10:3 NASB

Blessings,

Linda

I am in charge of lunch duty for our Pre-K 3 class.  With little hands and fingers, much help is needed.  Parents pack the children’s lunch but it still needs to be opened and straws inserted into juice boxes.  I hear choruses of Miss Debbie from the whole group of children at once.  Each one needs help and …they want that help NOW!

I’ve had to stop at times and ask them “How many Miss Debbie’s are there?”.  They laugh and shout ONE Miss Debbie!  So I ask them to raise a quiet hand.  I tell them they need to learn to be patient.  I will help each one of them as soon as possible.  But patience is not something 3 and 4 year old children typically demonstrate.

Noah is a kindergarten child and he happened to be passing through one day when he heard my dilemma.  He quietly told me that patience means to ‘wait without complaining’.  I thought that was quite wise from the mouth of a five year old.  His parents must have shared that definition with him.  And after Noah shared that with me, our whole class can now recite the definition of patience; waiting without complaining.

But I have to ask myself that question.  How patient am I?  How patient are you?

Consider the following questions:

• Do you become impatient with people who don’t get to the point and ramble on?
• Do you use your cell phone when you’re in line to check out at a store?
• Do you text while your child is trying to get your attention?
• Do you lean on your horn when a driver misses the green turn signal?
• Do you pray for something and then give up when you don’t see an answer quickly?

There are times when I can identify with a few of these examples.  It actually saddens me to see how many parents do not give their full attention to their child when they pick them up from school.  We’ve become a society that does several things at once and has become quite impatient.

Galatians 5:22-23 says:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

When I surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to be in control of my life, I am more patient.

When I allow my emotions and self to be in charge, I’m impatient.

So we have a choice.

I know I’d rather be Spirit controlled and patient.  People notice and I can give God the glory.  And in a world of impatient people, that stands out.

Blessings and love,

]]> http://lacedwithgrace.com/devotion/patient/feed/ 8 http://lacedwithgrace.com/character/waiting-3/ http://lacedwithgrace.com/character/waiting-3/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:00:15 +0000 Tiffany http://lacedwithgrace.com/?p=9522

It’s easy for me to sit on the sidelines and watch others race by. I’m not competitive, so I can easily let you go ahead of me. I don’t jump the gun like some personalities. Instead I stay back and I wait and wait. And yet sometimes I wonder what on earth am I waiting for.

* Am I waiting for the stars to line up just right?

* Am I waiting until I have enough resources, time, talent or money?

* Am I waiting for more energy?

* What am I really waiting for?

Maybe I’m waiting until my house is all organized and my garage is spotless and I have oodles of free time. Or maybe I’m waiting until I know exactly what I’m doing before I start. Ha. That will never happen. Don’t we learn as we get up and go? Through trial and error?

The truth is I’m waiting until I decide I am ready to start. It’s procrastination and it affects my relationship with God. He says, “Go,” and I say, “No. Not yet.” Stalling is my way out. I over analyze. I say “I’m still praying” because it’s easier than admitting I’m afraid to take my place. I’m afraid of how hard and long the race will be. I’m afraid I might fall flat on my face.

How about you? Are you waiting when you should be running your race? Are you putting something off that you know God wants you to do?

Somehow I can hear God, like Dr. Phil, saying, “How’s that working for you?”

My answer: It’s not.

I’m sick and tired of procrastinating. God has a specific race for me to run, a lane with my name on it. I don’t see the end, or even the middle, but I do see the beginning. I know where to start. I know what is required of me: Put one foot in front of the other. Step out. 

And regardless of my fears, I have exactly what I need to complete my course:

I have Christ in me.

Is He not enough for me to even start?

Ouch.

So I pray, Lord Jesus, help me trust You with my race. In my own strength I don’t have the strength to finish, but through You I can do all things. Help me stop stalling, stop comparing, stop fearing, and just start. I hear your voice saying, “On your mark, get set, go.” Okay, no more waiting, slow and steady here I go. Today I trust You enough to start. Amen

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1

Moving once again,

Tiffany at Tea with Tiffany