Waking up to blue skies after a night of healing rain is
refreshing. It would be another eventful day with medical appointments, but I
was ready for the task (or so I thought).
Hubby had been working around the house and was about to
change into clean clothes for his appointments.
I was pretty much ready and began my wait glancing out the window.
While leaning over the kitchen sink to see what winged
visitors we had, I noticed something moving about from the corner of my left
eye. My husband had retrieved his
clothes from the dryer and was dangling his underclothes from his hand.
Without notice I turned into my mother, “You’re not going to wear those, they’re
blue.” All I could think of was mom
telling us to make sure we always had on clean dainties, especially when going to
the doctor.
Returning to my leaning position of looking out the
window hubby came back into the kitchen, but this time he had two undergarments,
one in each hand. Holding them up like Rembrandts he asked, “Which one is bluer?”
I couldn’t help but laugh when he held up his shorts next
and said, “Are these too blue?” Hubby had done the laundry!
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB – Malta; Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India; Hanoi,
Ha Noi, Vietnam; Khanewal, Punjab, Pakistan.
USA – Altus, AR; Grifton, NC.
Thank you for your continued support and sharing Believing
Our Belief on Daily Favor. (DFB -
Daily Favor Blog) Living
my life before God and man, by sharing experiences as I walk out my faith.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below. All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life. Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Don't miss
out on this week's challenge (below).
Waiting While We Wait
Why is it that after you have been studying a certain
area in the Bible the test has to come immediately? No need to answer, it’s a rhetorical question
…
Our last challenge had to do with the act of compassion.
I thought perhaps God was still dealing with me in this area, so I made sure
that I was aware of how I was acting throughout the week. If I didn’t think God had a sense of humor
(which I do), I would say that He made sure to bring it to life in our daily
activities.
No matter what we did it seemed to come with a waiting
period before completing whatever it was we wanted to do. It would take a lot
of restraint this week in the area of compassion when it came to waiting.
Simple things like waiting in line to get an iced tea at
a fast food place took twenty minutes.
Another time we decided to stop in to see the brand new state of the art
McDonald’s that had been open for one day.
Walking through the doors you wouldn’t have thought it was a fast food
joint, but an actual restaurant where kids hung out after dark.
There was a self-ordering kiosk and a counter, but the
menu seemed confusing. Hubby ordered a
regular hamburger and I had a side salad.
He was given a round disk with a number and we were to find a place to
sit.
Looking around I couldn’t find a seat that I thought
would be easy for us to sit and eat our meal.
I was living the Three Bears story acting like Goldilocks trying to find
a chair that was just right.
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| Yeah, I finally got a new pocketbook! |
The booths were too tall, the metal chairs were too cold
… but I found two chairs that were just right.
Yes, they were probably not for “regular customers”, but I was thinking of my husband
not having to walk too far. Anyway, another
fifteen minutes of waiting; too long hubby said for what we ordered.
All week long we were in situations where we had to wait,
even the doctor’s appointment for that day had a waiting period of six weeks to
learn the results of a test (You remember, the one that was supposed to be
guaranteed results within 24 hours?).
Phased Waiting
We arrived at the doctor’s office about fifteen minutes
early. The television program Bonanza
was playing in the waiting room to occupy people. I think they do this so people
wouldn’t realize how long they were actually waiting.
Thirty-five minutes later a nurse came out and called us
into the next waiting room, you know the one that’s so small you need a shoe
horn to turn around? The second phase of
waiting had begun and to make it more un-relaxing the pendulum clock on the wall
was wrong.
By now we were waiting another fifteen minutes in the
inner room for the doctor to give us the medical diagnosis. At least if we were
still in the other area we could have finished watching the program. Now how
will I find out what happened to Adam?
Trying not to let the wait bother me I tried to snooze,
when the nurse returned and asked if we wanted a bottle of water (which never
happens). That should have been a clue
the doctor was nowhere ready to see us.
He Said What?
For some unknown reason I wore shorts that day. I never
wear shorts to the doctor’s for the very reason that it’s always an ice box in
their offices, because they want to keep down germs. Trying to keep warm I snuggled up to my
husband. That didn’t work; ever since the
surgery his body temperature runs colder than usual.
Looking over at the sink I noticed the paper towel
dispenser. Not shedding light on why I wanted it, I asked my husband if he
would be so kind and fetch one for me. Handing
it to me he sat back down and watched as I opened it up flat to place it on my
head.
With an awkward look in his face hubby reluctantly asked,
“What are you doing?” Explaining how there was an air conditioning
vent blowing directly over my head, and that the paper towel would serve as a
hat to block the draft, he questioned me again.
“Is it working?” Holding it on my head I smiled and said, “Yes.”
By now the clock that was five hours behind schedule had
chimed. Looking at his phone it was now
3:31 P.M. We had been officially waiting
for one hour and twenty minutes when the wait was about to end.
With pep the doctor burst into the room at 3:32 P.M. as
if all was well in the world. He sat
down on a wheeled stool pulling it close to us and said a few sentences to my
husband about the hospital tests.
When he asked, “Why
didn’t you call?” We both looked at
him and said, “We did, for six weeks
we’ve been calling!” His bright come back, “Oh, sorry about that. Do you have any questions?”
Tell me he didn’t say that! It was probably good I had that towel on my
head to stop the smoke that was virtually steaming. You can imagine what went through our minds.
Things like why did we even have to come here … couldn’t you have called? Both of us wanted to say something, but
refrained because that wouldn’t be showing compassion on an unsaved soul.
Self-control made it so that our mouth didn’t cause us to
sin by saying something unkind. Whew, we
thought we succeeded in keeping calm.
“I said, I will guard my
ways, lest I sin with my tongue.” (Psalm 39:1a NKJV)
Even though we didn’t say anything, I don’t know that our
body language reflected we were Jesus followers, and for a brief moment we took
on characteristics of a mime as the doctor left the room.
Stepping out in the hall I told my husband to look at his
phone for the time. It was 3:34 P.M. Two
minutes, can you believe it? Sure we
expected some period of waiting as normal, but it was the unexplained wait that
was getting to me. That’s when the mind
starts taking roads it shouldn’t travel.
On our way out I asked the receptionist if there were
some sort of emergency as to why all the waiting. Adding fuel to the fire she responded, “No, the doctor just had two new patients
and that takes longer.”
Affirmation and Confirmation
When I got home that day my mind was wondering contemplating what
I was to write this week. At first I
thought it was about birthdays, fun things with the family. Then I started
feeling pressured to write on the September 11 fall-out, when I realized it
wasn’t God directing me to take that path.
It was when I answered an email that the Lord confirmed what He wanted
from His children.
As we grow in our faith and start believing God at His
Word there will come times when we have to wait on answers to prayer. It’s not always a test from the Lord to see
if we believe, but sometimes the waiting has to do with things falling into
place.
On Saturday,
September 12th, 2015 that conference took place at Faith Cathedral World Outreach Center in Louisiana, with people who are living out their God vision and
dreams.
What God was pointing out to me was that I’m not
always coming through as a compassionate believer as I wait, whether it is for
answered prayer or simple everyday things.
In my thinking, I really believed I was compassionate, but
it seems when time is involved I get a little unnerved because I always have
something in the works that needs tending to immediately. Well, that’s the way I saw it anyway.
The Three C’s
Something I’ve realize about myself is that even
when I’m doing things for the Lord I can get so absorbed in the task that I
don’t hear clear direction from Him. All
I had on my mind in the doctor’s office was being able to receive favor from
God and man so we could get out of there with a good report in record time.
It didn’t dawn on me that waiting in the proper
spirit would allow me to receive a brief reprieve from my other
responsibilities. For the most part I
can squash unbelief when it comes to believing God for the big stuff that may
be more long term; it’s the short term waiting that is often more difficult.
I believe it’s the issue most Christians face on a
regular basis. We could all learn to be calmer,
caring, more compassionate people and enjoy the moment while we wait.
Waiting is A Way of Life
Realizing that waiting in general is a big problem for
people I did some research. The Internet is great in the way that you can find
almost anything if you look hard and long enough. That requires time … ugh!
So this is what I wanted to know concerning the
correction of wrongful waiting or even long periods of waiting. Waiting as it turns out is a way of life and
there’s no getting away from it. The
question is, how long are we willing to wait for something we deem as
worthwhile?
Six Facts You’ve Been Waiting to Read
The average person spends 62 minutes a day in a mode of
waiting. If you’re about the age of 70
that means you spent approximately 3 years waiting on something.
In Brazil a customer is entitled to a bit of cash if they
are kept waiting longer than 20 minutes in a grocery store. *Most don’t take the option because it takes
longer to fill out the paperwork causing them to go through the waiting list
all over again.
The longest waiting for quick medical attention in the
United States will take you to Newark, New Jersey, where you might have to wait
up to 90 minutes before being seen by the emergency room physician.
While waiting for information from an airline, customers
can expect to be on hold for up to 180 minutes.
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| Disneyland Club 33 main dining room. |
A little peckish?
Better pack some snacks if you want to eat at the exclusive Disney
Land’s Club 33.
You’ll have to wait 14 years before you can dine in that
restaurant (This doesn’t include the $25K joining fee, the annual $10K membership
or the cost of food or drinks!). There
are over 800 people waiting on the list.
This one is perhaps the most valued among sportsmen/women
… waiting for tickets! Sure we stand in
line as we enter a field where the game will be played, but getting tickets to
the “perfect” game is another thing.
If you want tickets to a Green Bay Packers game you can
add your name to the approximate 115 thousand fans who are willing to wait 30
years (that’s right) for their seat at Lambeau Field.
The tickets are so precious that people have
reserved them for their infant children in hope that they will be able to
attend a game together. The price tag just if you were wondering, a whopping $2,100 per seat for one game. No waiting for television though since the
blackout games were suspended as of 2015.
How much of human life is lost in waiting?
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Anticipation in Waiting
Although it was interesting to see what people are
willing to wait for in life, I’d like to direct our attention to what we do
while we short term wait. Are we
enjoying the journey as we believe God for the good outcome He has promised?
For the most part, no one likes waiting yet it is an
inevitable part of life. Life is a waiting line unfolding every minute. We wait in grocery or banking lines, at
traffic stops, in birth, in receiving news, for the computer to boot-up, food
to cook, for phone calls, healing to occur, people to come and go, or answered
prayer to manifest.
The list is too long and yours is probably different than
mine. What we do have in common is our
belief in God to help us through the waiting whether it is short or long term.
Years
ago while my husband waited for me to finish my therapy sessions from an
accident, he read over thirty books in one summer. He set his focus on something else rather
than the nine hour long days three times a week.
If we’re not careful we can get caught up in negativity
and that stops God from being able to manifest His blessings on us. Mr. Rogers
the famous children’s storyteller taught a lesson on waiting when he sang the
song, “Let’s think of something to do
while we’re waiting.” So, let’s do
that while we wait in anticipation.
This Week’s Challenge:
Waiting through Life
I’m pleased to learn how the challenges to believe what you believe have been working in your lives, and that
your patience in waiting on the Lord is growing by faith. Reminding ourselves that “God’s got this”
will help us target areas that need some refining so that the favor of God
continues to fall on each of us.
Our challenge this week would have us work on our behavior aspect
in the short term waiting through
life.
Understanding that occupied time makes the waiting seem faster, we
can develop a strategy for dealing with those specific times. Parents and teachers you do this all the time
with your kids.
Instead of getting frustrated over the time you have to wait try
these suggestions to distract you so you don’t fall into sin while waiting.
Having music, television, magazines in a waiting area is a
psychological move so take advantage of those.
It helps distract a customer so they won’t react in a negative way
during their wait.
My husband usually plays with his phone or reads something. I’ve
cleaned out my purse, talked to strangers and listened to Christian music. What I do most is jot down notes about what I
see around me. For a writer these are
golden moments to hear from God.
Try counting something like ceiling tiles (like my husband does)
or lights (like I do). Anything, even
your freckles!
Rearrange your shopping cart separating wet items from dry,
boxes from cans, etc.
Keep a book/Kindle with you.
Call or message someone you haven’t talked to in a while.
Write a letter or note to someone (not in the grocery line
though).
Make out your shopping list for the week or for an upcoming
celebration.
List the blessings of God that you can see right where you are.
Enjoy watching what’s going on around you.
Pray for the person you’re staring at (but don’t let them see
you doing it … staring that is).
“The LORD is good to those who wait
(confidently) on Him, to those who seek Him (on the authority of God’s
word.” (Lamentations 3:25a AMP)
It’s not an accident that you were kept waiting. Relax
and have fun. Believe God is in control and allow Him to work through those impatient
moments with compassion. Treasure them as you grow in faith and favor while waiting
through life.
“So the LORD must wait
for you to come to Him, so He can show you
His love and compassion. For the LORD is a
faithful God.
Blessed are those who
wait for His help.” (Isaiah 30:18a NLT)
Let's Think of Something To Do
Until next
time, waiting on God has its own favor!
“I will bless those who show compassion.”
Jesus Christ
Note:
The words satan or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we give him
no place in our lives.
Disclaimer:
Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical
issues, but geared toward spiritual awareness.
What’s New This
Week: Click on the link.
by Joyce Meyer
(e-Book or Paperback)
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also. Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Scripture reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway.
Image credit: Google Images Creative Common License if not specified.
*(Richard Ruffin, Storyteller/Traveler)
Image: 3 C's Calm, Caring, Compassion Packers Season Ticket Postcard Waiting in Line
Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
