Are We There Yet?

As I have confessed in previous blogs, I am a planner. So it was a complete shock to my husband and kids when I suggested blowing off perfectly good airline tickets to instead embark on a road trip. We were hours away from flying home from Florida when I suggested this spontaneous detour. My husband’s grandfather lives in Alabama, so it seemed like a perfect time to visit with him. From there, we would drive back home to Connecticut in our rental car. Although my kids thought their mother had temporarily lost it, they were genuinely excited that we were extending our vacation with an extra adventure. But, after several hours in the car, the all too familiar “are we there yet?” started to resound from the backseat. To be completely honest, it started to come from the front seat too.

The first leg of the trip wasn’t so bad. It was short. We were comfortable. However, after the first stop in Alabama, the trip started to drag on, and we began to get a little impatient.

Interestingly, I find myself on a little “road trip” of my own right now. I’ve been waiting on the Lord for almost a year for a specific situation in my life. I have complete confidence that the Lord will fulfill His promises to me, but I too am getting a little impatient. Lately, I find myself asking God, “are we there yet?” Today is one of those days.

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. – 2 Peter 3:8-9

Although the Lord’s timetable is slower than I would like, I have come to recognize that the Christian life is made up of a lot of “road trips.” All too often, our sole focus is to get to the destination rather than growing during the journey. Not to sound cliché, but the journey is as valuable as the destination.

Yes, the journey may be filled with moments of pain, disappointment, and uncertainty, but God allows us to go through it with a purpose in mind. You see, during these moments of waiting, God is calling us to draw closer to Him like never before. It’s during these times that we learn to trust the Lord in a new, deeper way. We must trust Him even if the journey we are on doesn’t seem fair or beneficial.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. – Proverbs 3:5

If you are on one these trips, ask yourself these questions. Why did God put me on this path? What area of my life is He trying to stretch or grow? Who else can I bless along this journey? Do I trust Him completely even though I can’t see the final destination?

Ladies, it is important to make sure that we take our foot off the gas from time to time and stare out the window for a few minutes to truly see what God has in mind for us. Once you start to see His purpose, you may actually begin to enjoy the ride.

Renovation Project

I thought I would never do it again. But, I did. Each time I’ve gone through this, I’ve been certain that I wouldn’t put myself through it another time. And yet, here I am once again, about to start another home improvement project. I so love the end result, but the process to get there requires more energy and patience than I admittedly want to take on. It’s always the same thing. It appears that it is going to be a quick project. Promises of minimal disruption are made, even guaranteed. But, the second demolition starts, my faith in the contractor’s promises starts to waver, and mostly for good reason. The renovation site usually looks like a meteor crashed into it. I try to focus on the finished product, but the dust and disruption are more than this neat freak can tolerate.

Interestingly, the renovation process reminds me of what God does in the life of a Christian. He likes to do some improvements of His own. You see, salvation is free and instant, but becoming more like Christ takes a lifetime. This pursuit consists of a series of renovation projects where God destroys the areas that don’t glorify Him and then rebuilds you in His image.

The first stage, demolition, is always the toughest. It requires breaking down walls or strongholds that need to go. During this phase, I too look like a meteor hit me. I feel beat down and weak. I don’t always understand God’s methods and sometimes can’t see the bigger picture. Recognizing that I only see part of His master plan, I try not to doubt His tactics. I must keep my eyes on the Lord and meditate on scripture.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." – Isaiah 55:8-9

Next, comes the rebuilding stage. This is where God gets to recreate that area of my life in His image. Sounds easy enough, but it requires change and letting go of some strong habits. I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the harder this is for me. Change is uncomfortable and makes me uneasy, but the final product is always worth the temporary discomfort.

By the time you get to stage three, the finishing touches, I promise you it gets a little easier. You catch a glimpse of the final product. Your faith begins to rise, your resolve starts to strengthen, and you push forward until you reach the finish line. God completes His renovation project in you and creates a beautiful masterpiece.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:12-14

The Waiting Games

My mother has a knack for making things special, and holidays are no exception. My parents host Christmas Eve every year. When I was growing up, my entire family joined in on the festivities. If you are from an Italian family, you understand just how many people that actually is. The house was decorated beautifully in true Christmas spirit. Luminaras lined the driveway. The food was plentiful. Christmas carols echoed throughout the entire house, and laughter could be heard everywhere. I still remember the excitement I felt each Christmas Eve. The anticipation of what was to come overwhelmed me.

That night, we exchanged gifts with the extended family. But there was a catch. We had to wait until the grandfather clock in the foyer struck nine o’clock before we could open the gifts. Guests arrived at six, so you can imagine how long that wait seemed to a child.

To make the wait seem even more unbearable, my mother would line all the cousins up in a row with their presents in their laps about ten minutes before nine. Our little eyes were fixed on the big hand on the clock as the time ticked away. With ten seconds to go, my mother would begin the countdown:

10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1

You can imagine the scene that followed. Wrapping paper began to fly everywhere. It was a frenzy of tissue paper and bows. We were all so excited and thankful to open the long-awaited gift.

I know many of you are waiting patiently for the Lord to answer your prayers, and it seems like an eternity. Maybe you are asking God to restore your marriage or a broken relationship. Or perhaps you are waiting for a healing touch in your body or a financial breakthrough. I can assure you that God sees the situation you are in and hears your prayers.

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” - Psalm 27:14 

I recognize that nobody likes to wait. I certainly don’t. We live in a culture of instant gratification. Fast food . . . instant downloads . . . FastPass . . . to name just a few. But God often has a different plan in mind.

We look at the life of Abraham and see a man that received a tremendous promise from God. The Lord vowed to make Abraham the father of a great nation. He was 75 years old at the time he received this promise and yet, as of then, he didn’t have any children. It took 25 more years for Abraham to see the fulfillment of this promise through the birth of his son Isaac. Although Abraham went through seasons of doubt, God never changed His promise.

But why did God make Abraham wait? The character that is developed in God’s waiting room is significant: faith that can’t be shaken, awareness of God’s promises, the ability to hear God’s voice clearly, a dedicated prayer life, and, most importantly, an appreciation of His faithfulness.

Just like our waiting on Christmas Eve was never easy, waiting on God can be difficult. We need to recognize that the waiting can be a time of great growth and the development of a heart of appreciation for the answered prayer.

Ladies, we need to trust that God will do what His word says He will do. His timing is perfect. Don’t lose hope . . . the clock is just about to strike nine!

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31