Day 26 : What's the purpose of YOUR waiting?

I waited to hear back about that job for years

Okay, it was five days. But it felt like years.

When you need a job, or test results, or an answer, or the money, time slows down.

Would they ever call? They said it would be a day, maybe two. I was a new Christian and the faith thing, even for five piddly days, was strange and challenging. Somehow, I ended up in Hebrews chapter 12. I read about discipline and realized discipline is not only punishment, it’s also training to make you better.

I began taking the waiting seriously, treating it like training. I started memorizing that passage about discipline:

“God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. It produces a harvest of righteousness and peace in those who have been trained by it…So strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.”

That sure was me! I realized the harvest of righteousness and peace I wanted would only come if I allowed the discipline to train me. I thought deeply about that while I waited. Later, I learned they call it ‘meditation.’

As soon as I had the passage memorized, they called. I didn’t get the job.

Twenty-four years later I still know those words. I’ve quoted it to encourage myself and others dozens of times.

It’s not all about the hope. The road to hope may be the best part

Hope may stay unfulfilled. That’s scary. 

However, unfulfilled hope can bring a harvest of righteousness and peace. I’ll take that! Not scary.

But, it’s possible to be disciplined by unfulfilled hope, yet NOT be trained by it. Scary again.

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You can start at the beginning of 31 Days of Scary Hope: encouragement to go from IS to COULD BE -- HERE.

Comments

[Donna]

"But, it’s possible to be disciplined by unfulfilled hope, yet NOT be trained by it."

Do you have any example of how one can know the difference? Should our focus be on finding the difference?

I enjoy your posts so much. I have started reading your posts from the beginning. 2005!

Thanks.