Impatience guilt during transition can be tough
I’m reminded again that impatience guilt during transition can be tough. As mentioned, we have just made a huge move, to a brand new town [for us]. Due to many reasons, getting the house set up into a home this time takes far too long. So, I sit here—with a little time to relax and reflect—getting anxious because nothing seems to be happening.
Actually, throughout the move, the Lord has been making His presence wonderfully known. We’ve seen marvelous deliverances, timely rescues, financial blessings, deeper marriage bonding, the renewal of joy, and all the rest of the normal things happening in the lives of believers.
Yet, I continue to feel the urge to write, create, produce… However, I know that doing anything without the anointing simply wastes time—both my time and the readers’ time. Thank God, the Lord can redeem anything in our lives. But impatience, at best, wastes time.
Dealing with impatience guilt during transition gets old quickly
I mean—really! I still have not completely learned to relax and let the Lord set the timetable. This remains true whether we are talking about career, calling, maturing, or ministering. I’m still waiting for the best seller, that anointed teaching which brings dozens [if not hundreds] of people to the Lord, the peace and joy of finally growing up, discovering the fruit of good character in myself. But alas! I’m still waiting.
I should know better. I understand that process trumps results. I see that character matters more than good works. Yet I want to be doing something. I need to relax into trust—knowing that His plan is marvelous. All I have to do is pray, praise, and wait.
Is this an American issue? Maybe I’m just weird. But then, I don’t see too many who have grown beyond this issue. What about you?
As someone who has a Ph.D. in philosophy and who has studied metaphysics for years professionally, I’m a bit curious, David. I also taught a course called The Meaning of Life for years at NYU. There are 3 so-called proofs for the existence of god and even Thomas Aquinas didn’t accept one of them. The other two have been shown fallacious for centuries. That leaves faith. Is that why you believe in god, and if so, how do you, with your seemingly unbounded confidence, justify the faith of Christianity (including Mormonism) versus the faith of those who believe in a different god. That is, how does one settle the dispute? No law or objective reality to settle it. Or am I missing something?
Your posting reminded me of the ant infestation we had earlier this year in our kitchen. We have a marvelous poison called Maggie’s Ant Killer which comes in a squeezable tube. A couple drops on a piece of paper and within a few days, the ants have carried the poison back to the nest for the queen ant to eat.
It seemed to me this year that the ants needed a slogan or something that would lure them. I put the poison on a 3″x5″ card and then wrote, “Ants, have you considered the sluggard, they get plenty of rest.” And so they went to rest.
Ants are meant to work hard, sluggards are designed differently. God is the great designer. Do not fret, it will all happen.
Consider the missionary who decides to leave the USA for a life in another country. What does he/she take?
In Christ, Tom