Monday, September 13, 2010

#9 time

I love home improvement. Don't have any money, but I still like to peruse the aisles of my local hardware store and dream.  Until I'm debt free, I'll have to be satisfied with leaving the store with things to repair my aging house.  For some reason, last weekend, a lot of my doors needed repair. All in one day, I installed a recently repaired shower door, replaced the door knob on our back door and stopped it from sticking, and finally put a new latch on the outside gate.  And even though the kitchen countertops were on my mind the entire time, it felt so good to get out there and sweat, create (kind of), and take time with my "little helpers".

If you know me, or have been reading for a while, you'll know that most of what I learn about God the Father comes from my life experiences as a daddy.

At one point on Saturday, Avila, who's 2, told me that she wanted to help me.  Thinking back and knowing who cool it is when my kids are a part of my ordinary projects, see #5 God Can , I quickly agreed to her request.  I was headed to the garage to find some screws and some small washers.  She stood patiently next to me at my work bench while I searched through a couple disorganized bins of random hardware.  I knew that if I didn't involve her immediately, she was going to get bored and take off, so I handed her a couple of washers.  She happily took them in her little hand and smiled.  However, it wasn't 30 seconds, while I searched for the right size screws, that she was handing the washers back to me, stating "I don't want to help you anymore", and skipping off to her sandbox.  Bummer!

Instantly, as I'm listening for the Father's voice in all of this, I'm reminded of the impatience within my own heart surrounding the Father and His plan, His work, His projects.  I find myself skipping away all the time!  When will you heal this nation God? When will you make these paths straight?  When will I see your justice?  I feel just like Avila did, holding a couple of pieces to the puzzle, bored out of my mind, while my Father gathers the remaining parts to accomplish the project.

I'm reminded again that God knows what He is doing.  He doesn't need our help, He desires it.  But most of all He desires our trust in His plan.  Even though it seems like it is "taking forever!" His timing is perfect in all things big and small.  He's God, He could do it instantly at any moment.  However, in that case, what would become of our trust, our faith, our time abiding in the Father?

I'm learning that patience is not the standing-in-line, bored, tapping my foot, kind of waiting.  Patience is standing in awe of God's movements, works and plan, all the while knowing that He's got it taken care of, and that you are a part of it all...

Lord, help me to abide, to trust, to know your ways are correct ALL of the time. Amen.

Do you find yourself "waiting" on God and becoming impatient at times?  What are the things in your world that you have a hard time seeing God's plan in?  In what ways have you given up on God's plan, and tried to do it by yourself or simply skipped away?