Today is the long awaited day. I am traveling to Santa Fe. I love, absolutely love, did I say I enjoy and am thrilled to travel. Today I am traveling with a purpose. That makes my flight even better!

I can’t wait to see what God will do with my time while I wait in the airport!

I can’t wait to greet that poor soul who will sit beside me in the airplane – two different people. I am praying for them tonight. I hope the Lord has a God sized encounter planned.

I can’t wait to hug my favorite people – my mother, aunt, uncle, and sister!

I can’t wait to see what God will do on Saturday as women come together to struggle with their trials and leave at the end of the day soaring on wings like eagles because they have leaned that the WAIT God calls us to is a good thing!

Last week I mentioned the radio interview. Dr. Deb the show hostess asked me several great questions. I am going to answer them over the next few weeks. Here is the first question:

Why do women find waiting such a hard thing to do?

We fear the unknown. We don’t have time to wait. We have no patience. Our society has no room for slackers. We are judged by the amount of territory we cover - by the number of chores we accomplish…

If someone were to ask you how you spent your day and you responded, “Oh today I waited on God.” No one would be too impressed, now would they?

And what about you, friend. Do you find waiting a hard thing to do?

Psalms 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. For You I wait all day

May It Be To Me As You Have Said

In Him we in him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28

“An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you.’ ”

Here we go again. Joseph had to tell Mary to pack up. It was time to move.

I wonder if I had been told by my husband, “An angel told me to move” would I have received the marching order any better than the way I did.

Fact is, nothing happens on earth that God has not allowed it. So in His economy whether an angel appeared in his dream or a boss walked into his office, God’s plan would be worked out.

The Waltons would be moving again!

Moving is never easy. Moving with a baby- can be a trial.

Aaron was 18 months old when we left south Texas. The drive to Kentucky was a hard one. He woke up in the middle of the night before the move with a low grade temperature.

Teething.

I sat in the back seat through four long days feeding him little pieces of ice to soothe his gums.

He cried, slept fitfully, whined, and complained.

His mommy cried slept fitfully whined and complained.

We were in a rolling, protected from the elements, heated with a comfortable back seat car.

Mary was either in a cart, on a donkey, or walking!

What do I have to complain about?

Why did Mary have to move --- AGAIN?!!!!!!!!!

Clearly – we know the move to Egypt was an act of protection.

God in His mercy was protecting this young holy family.

I look at my moves and slump – oh no! Not AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

I blame today’s corporate lifestyle, our economy…

Truth is God uses our circumstances here on earth to work through His plan for us.

One day I realized it wasn’t the high and mighty corporation that was constantly moving my husband and family.

Almighty God was moving us. He had a plan. In some cases his plan was to protect us. In other situations His plan was to provide for us. Often His plan was to use us to protect others or provide for people we would only know once we came to settle in our new strange home.

Oh to be like Mary and trust my Father with my life – all of it, from the smallest of inconvenient changes to the grandest of moves.

I can't wait for She Speaks!



I've got another, "I can't wait for..." This time next week I will be winging my way west! I can’t wait.

I have a speaking engagement in Santa Fe, New Mexico. While visiting Santa Fe I'll stay with my aunt and uncle and get to see my mother and my sister.

Saturday I had a radio interview that introduced me as the speaker for the women’s retreat at Christ Church.

Dr. Deb of Walking in the Way Ministries and I spent close to an hour discussing the idea of waiting. She asked me lots of questions.

How would you have answered?

Why do women find waiting such a hard thing to do?

Does God “command” us to wait?

What possible good comes from waiting? After all, it only serves to frustrate and frazzle us, right?

What insights have you gained from your time in God’s Wait Room?

Next week I will post some of my answers.


Just in case you find yourself in His Wait Room right now with a wait you can barely endure, whatever you are doing, turn on the Praise Music. Lift your hands to God. Let go your time trial, worship Him.

God is enthroned on the praises of his people and through his divine design your spirit will soar.

YOU RAISE ME UP
Josh Groban

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;

When troubles come and my heart burdened be;

Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,

Until you come and sit awhile with me.



You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;

You raise me up: To more than I can be.



There is no life - no life without its hunger;

Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;

But when you come and I am filled with wonder,

Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.



You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;

You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Can't wait for SHE SPEAKS? Register here:



She told me she would pick me up so we could ride together to meet all our girl friends for dinner. When I was ready to go I sat down to wait.

There by the window I could keep an eye on the driveway and run out the door. I didn’t want her to have to get out of her car and come get me

So I waited by the window.

Usually when my life is put on hold I become impatient.

I didn’t grow impatient. I stared out the window anticipating an evening with friends.

Too often when I have to slow down I become angry.

I didn’t get angry. I was happy that my friend was driving and I was not.

Whenever I have to wait, especially if I am waiting for something that feels the list bit unpleasant I find myself growing anxious.

I didn’t let anxiety take over. I trusted that my friend would either show up or call.

Sometimes waiting causes me to allow fear, dread, or doubt to surface.

I didn’t let any of those emotions control my moment of rest and stillness because I simply wanted to sit quiet for a few moments and be thankful for the few seconds of rest.

Eventually I saw my friend’s car pull into my driveway. I stood up from my wait and joined her for the ride to the restaurant.

Why can’t I handle all my waits like that?

God is in my future. He has promised me an abundant life. He will never forget me. I know he is my “driver.” He will take me where I need to go. I know I can trust God. Knowing all that why don’t I simply enjoy the rest, the stillness, the quiet when He keeps me waiting.

I just can’t believe that I wait patiently for my friend when she takes her time, but get anxious when my Lord is slow!

I think I have my priorities mixed up.

Time to wait focusing on His promises, setting aside my predicaments.

MARY'S RETREAT TO THE HILL COUNTRY

Mary moved four times in a matter of a few short years.

Move number one: She moved from her home in Nazareth to stay with Elizabeth, her cousin who was also pregnant due to a miracle.

God may call us to move into hard places. I have learned through my moves, though, that He makes a way. He provides in the midst of difficult circumstances.

So Mary and Elizabeth had each other.

Some may not call the move Mary made to visit Elizabeth much of a move. I know women who have packed up belongings, mourned and grieved the good-byes and the left-behind memories. It is hard to fathom, but they moved, unpacked, were in the process of settling into their new home and poof – the edict comes down from corporate. A change of mind has turned an employee into a pawn to be moved across the checker board of life! Amazing!

Mary’s move/visit to stay with Elizabeth was temporary, but it did signify a move. She left her child hood home. When she returned she was changed, grown up, a woman.

Do we know the significance of Mary’s time with her older cousin?

For sure it wasn’t a time to learn about child birth and parenting. This was Elizabeth’s first pregnancy too.

While reading the account of Jesus’ birth in Luke, we are told that as soon as the angel left Mary, after announcing the birth, Mary went – in a hurry to visit Elizabeth.

Was she looking for a safe place?

Was she running away?

Was she certain that Elizabeth and Zacharias would shelter her?

Why did she go “with haste?”

I think she went on a retreat – to the hill country.

There she heard her cousin’s words of greeting, joy, and acceptance.

There she was able to open her heart and mouth, tell the truth, not be judged.

In the hill country on retreat she spoke the words of the Magnificat:

My soul rejoices in the Lord. And my spirit has rejoiced in God my savior. For He has had regard for the humble stare of His bond slave. Luke 1:46 – 48.

I am completely convinced that God has moved me to take me on a retreat. He has set me aside from the world to force me to look at Him, to seek Him, to depend on Him.

After three months Mary returned home, only to get on a donkey and make an even more amazing move. Move number two.

We’ll talk about it next week.

Meanwhile – go on a retreat – if just for an hour or two. Move toward God and sing him a song.

Take a detour to Charlotte, North Carolina this summer and join the Proverbs 31 Team. It will be the greatest side trip you ever experience!

WAITS PARALYZE

The deal about waiting is we become so focused on the object of our wait, we slip into paralysis. Do you know what I mean?

The first time I became aware of this my daddy had called to inform me about his open heart surgery.

Oh no – not another health issue! I secretly thought to myself.

He assured me all would be OK, yet I detected exhaustion in his voice. A diabetic, he had recently undergone prostate treatments. It had been ten years since his successful angioplasty. We were aware heart surgery might be a reality in his life one day.

To make matters worse I could not be by his bedside to offer solace or comfort. I could not leave my sons because my husband’s job didn’t allow time off.

I remember calling the pastor of my church – I was Christian Education Ministry Leader at the time – to tell him I would not attend the spring extravaganza, an event I had planned to celebrate Christian education in the church.

I spiraled into paralysis as I waited through surgery, post op, and recovery. Guilt, fear, concern, sorrow… consumed me.

I spent my time praying and fretting. Not once did it occur to me to give my daddy to God and get on with life.

God had called me to His Wait Room and I dropped the waits. I stood there staring at the wait allowing it to incapacitate me.

Fact is I didn’t accomplish a thing – fretting, pacing, worrying.

Had I trusted God with the wait, the outcome would have still been the same.

I could have been a more involved mother. As it was, although I didn’t rush to Daddy’s hospital bedside, I also performed minimally for my family - no good anywhere while the wait wore me down.

I could have been a more productive worker in the kingdom. As it was I handed over my responsibilities to others in the church and sat home in a catatonic state.

Since that experience God has called me to His Wait Room more times than I can remember. Slowly I began to realize,

God gives us waits so we can practice giving them back to Him. We have no idea what to do with those heavy joy robbers, except to hold on and try to lift them all alone.

Even those athletes the heavy weights – weight lifters working out in the gym, ask a spotter for help when the weight gets too weighty.

Psalm 37: 3-5, “Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” (NASB)

See – this is what I mean! We are to trust the Lord and, AND do good, meaning go about life while trusting God.

Had I trusted God with my daddy, I could have been an example to my sons rather than a mournful frightened mother and daughter. Also I could have spent quality time with my guys and been an example (which is a mother's role) illustrating what it is to rejoice in the Lord always - even in the midst of the storm. But no – I didn’t do a very good job at wait training.

Had I remembered that I had been called to cultivate in the land where I dwelled I might have rejoiced at the fruits of my labor. But no – I missed out on a joyful event, one my dear daddy would have never dreamed of keeping me from attending. I failed my time trial.

Now when called to God’s Wait Room I try to remember this wise quote from an unknown author. (if you know who penned it – let me know, please)

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its joy.

With all that said, stop what you are doing right now, in the midst of your trials and praise God. Take Him your waits and lay them down.

Trust Him.

Dwell in the land and cultivate!

Click here for a rich moment with your Father:

Glory Glory Hallelujah, I’m laying my burdens down…