Learning a life lesson from a pre-born!
Grant Andrew couldn’t understand, but that didn’t keep Great-grandma Clay from talking to him through Amy’s tummy: “Be patient, Grant. . . We’re excited for you to be with us, but not right now. . . We want you to be with us next Christmas, not this year. . .” A little over a week ago our oldest child, Amy, was admitted to Baptist Hospital with early contractions. For a week we were on pins and needles, wondering what would happen. Would Amy deliver Grant two months early? Was he ready to live outside the womb? Was Amy o.k.? Amy’s situation prompted us to change our Christmas plans. Instead of Amy and Jeremy joining us in Springfield, we drove to
Memphis, since Amy, after six nights in the hospital, is on complete bed rest at home.
We have really good news – because of the faithfulness and goodness of God, the prayers of many, and the excellent medical care of doctors and nurses, the intense contractions have stopped and Amy is resting comfortably – as comfortably as a seven-month pregnant mother can rest. We continue to trust in the sovereignty of God. His purpose for Grant, as for each of us, will prevail. That’s the promise of Proverbs 19:21.
Some of us have teasingly accused Grant of being impatient. While that charge won’t stick against him, it could against some of us. Patiently waiting is very difficult for most of us Homo sapiens.
- Young couples, wanting their parents’ lifestyle, can easily go “head over heels” in debt for a big beautifully furnished house, rather than wait until they can afford it.
- An athlete, eager to excel and be the best, takes steroids rather than patiently and consistently building his body through hard work and good nutrition.
- A pastor, with more vision than wisdom, impatiently leads a congregation into unmanageable debt which ultimately cripples the ability of the church to do effective ministry.
- A couple, because “we’re in love,” engages in pre-marital sex rather than waiting until marriage to enjoy God’s gracious gift of sexual intimacy.
- Christ followers, with a sincere desire for their friend or family member to know Christ too, become spiritually pushy rather than planting the seed and waiting for God to produce a fruitful harvest of salvation.
- Still stinging from being hurt by someone, we lash out and get even, rather than wait for God to vindicate us.
God knew that waiting and being patient are hard for many of us, so He gave us these encouragements, promises, examples and instructions:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1).
“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near” (James 5:7, 8).
“A man’s wisdom gives him patience. . .” (Proverbs 19:11a).
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
“Be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).
God has a way of giving His best to those who wait! One way to finish strong is to live patiently and watch God work out His perfect plan in our lives!
Thanks, Grant, for patiently waiting. Your time is coming – it won’t be long!
jmp
December 28th, 2007 at 7:15 am
I suspect that the patience domain is one area in which God’s Spirit most wishes to work on us U.S. Christians. Especially those of us who know and rely upon the Spirit in our lives and arenas of service. Very timely thought for me personally, John.
I need to invent a mechanism to balance several interacting dynamics:
A) a personal yearning to see Him break through in individual lives & in the Body within which I serve;
B) a willingness to wait for Him to act in His own good time; and,
C) a holy boldness to act in an intelligent & sensitive manner as He leads.
I also suspect that the art of living patiently is found in a better understanding of what waiting does & does not consists of (excuse the poor grammar). In some rare cases it seems to me that waiting means doing pretty much nothing in the domain of concern. Yet, in other cases, I’ve found that responsible waiting requires me to remain actively engaged, yet not acting as though this is the moment at which God’s Spirit chooses to dramatically act. Sometimes, too, I lose sight of the fact that the Spirit can (and does) work over time, gradually bringing a person or group to a crisis point of commitment / decision.
Wow… life would be so much easier if I could just have my way! You think?
January 5th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I am so sick and tired of waiting for patience to develop in my life!
Seriously, thanks for the great thoughts and illustration.
So happy that mother and baby are doing o.k. so far.
Love and prayers… Brian’s dad.
January 7th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
A timely word, fitly spoken - thank you! So glad all is well with Amy and little Grant. We will continue to pray while we wait on his arrival.