How Long is This Going to Take?
Posted by Candace
Do you remember the movie "Madagascar"? Well, if you've seen it, you probably remember the scene where King Julian and all his followers are waiting in a tree for their new friends down below to fall asleep. After just a few minutes, King Julian yells "How long is this going to take?"
Yep, I'm a little like King Julian right now. The longer I live, the more that I am assured that I HATE waiting. It is one of the reasons I often rush headlong into things without a second thought and it is also a reason for building frustration when things seem to be taking a long time or I have to depend on others to get them done. Impatience is definitely NOT a virtue, and I often experience its rotten fruit. Right now for instance, I am waiting for one last piece of paperwork before I can mail in our home study packet and finally be moving forward again in this adoption process. This one thing seems to be taking forever, and every day that passes, I find myself getting a little more anxious and a little more doubtful about everything. Sounds exactly like God is teaching me patience, huh? I'd almost rather be learning Greek :). But for now, I will continue to let go of each passing day that seems to be pushing our dreams to far off land, and trust that Father knows best. I don't want any of this to go faster or slower then it should. Good things come to those who wait, and I am expecting that at the end of this long road there will be very good things. God, grant me the patience required for this journey...
Last week was Spring Break and David and I took the boys to Tampa, FL to visit Busch Gardens. It was a wonderful, short escape from the pressures of life and we thoroughly enjoyed each other. We spent 2 very full days at the theme park and the water park and besides being thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day, we had one of the best family vacations we have ever taken. David kept reminding the boys that they needed to enjoy it to the fullest because it would probably be a while before we would return...which brought visions of someday keeping tabs on 4 kids in the midst of crowds. Yeah, it really might be a while before we return :). We were very thankful to get this family time, though and we were made even more thankful for the time when we learned that a dear friend's mother moved to heaven last week, fairly unexpectedly. We were reminded that life is short and every moment counts. We all must remember to make the most of every opportunity and actively pursue and walk in the plan we were created for.
Which brings me to the last thing I wanted to write about today. I recently read a book called "The Butterfly Effect". The point of the book was the fact that everything you and I do, no matter who you are, matters. It gives several examples of how one man or woman changed history and changed lives, sometimes by seemingly insignificant right choices. But those small right choices compounded, sometimes several generations later, and led to big events that changed the world. Think about this... you may never be someone that influences the world... but what if tomorrow, you encouraged someone enough that they had the courage to become someone that influences the world. You may never personally rescue a child from the sex trafficking trade, but what if tomorrow you gave of what you had and a child was rescued and that child grew up to rescue more children. You may never be a teacher or a preacher, but what if you inspired your children so much that they became teachers or preachers and the people that they inspire became the same. Changing the world begins one conscious person at a time making one conscious right choice at a time. When your life on this earth is over, it is not your earthly legacy that will matter, it is your heavenly one. There, and only there, will it be revealed the incredible impact you have had on this earth... or not. No person on this earth is insignificant unless they choose to be, and no choice, good or bad, impacts only the chooser. Our lives matter and it is never too late to make a difference.
Please pray that we get this home study sent off this week and that we can quickly finish up with our social worker visits and be approved by the state of GA. Also, please pray for the Peeples and Davis families as they lost a dear saint this past week and will miss her very much. Also, if you would be so gracious as to pray for David and I as we step out on faith in another area of our lives. We feel very called to something right now, but we are not so sure at all what that looks like. We recently left our church of 3 years to pursue whatever direction God intends for us, but doors have yet to open, and we would so appreciate prayers. Again, I find myself pulling a King Julian..."How long is this going to take???'
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