Unfolding

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17 (NIV) "I stared into the frustrated eyes of my friend last week as we talked about her calling to write. She has big, big dreams, and her dreams seem to be coming true far too slowly. I told her how much I understood. Stepping into my calling was a long time coming, too. My specific calling is to teach, speak and write. Your calling may fall into a myriad of other categories, but every calling is equally high when it's in obedience to the Most High. We're ALL called to ministry of some sort. My calling didn't materialize in a year. It has unfolded during the last 35 years, and each phase of that unfolding has shaped and re-determined the final product (which I know won't be final until my last breath!). The unfolding looked kind of like this: Becoming a passionate teacher of young children. Marrying my best friend. Investing years in my little boys' lives. Teaching adults as they chased dreams that passed them by in their teens. Volunteering in women's ministry. Visiting home after home as the "Welcome Wagon Lady" in my new town. Accepting invitations to speak at my church and others close by. Joining the Proverbs 31 Ministries' speaker team. Returning to a frustrating year of elementary school teaching. Stepping in to my calling of equipping others in their calling. I've look at my list many times and thought, "Wow. I wasted a lot of years." But I've come to realize it's just not true. Every relationship, every job, every opportunity has prepared me. Psalm 90:17 reminds me that God establishes the work of my hands. With each change, I've had an opportunity to view that next place as stepping into a calling. Sometimes I did. Sometimes I didn't. Often I was irritated at the seeming meaninglessness of what I was doing, but now I see. Every diaper changed, every knee kissed, every book read, every late night listening, every dying to self, every lesson plan made, every story crafted, every presentation made, every meeting attended, every spreadsheet created, EVERY THING... It all counted. Every moment was an unfolding of my eventual calling. God used each stepping stone to establish the work I'm doing now. Don't despair today when you can't see it. Obey God and trust that He is working. His timing is so rarely ours, but it is always perfect. Instead of chaffing under the seemingly mundane, embrace each task as a building block for the dreams in your heart. Don't give up hope. I promise ... it's coming. Dear Lord, it's been difficult waiting as the years have come and gone without stepping into my calling. Please help me appreciate each seemingly mundane task and day as a means to you establishing the work of my hands. In Jesus' Name, Amen." -Amy Carroll, Proverbs 31 Ministries

Verse for Today

Clinging to This Today! Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. ~ Hebrews 10:23, NLT

When Waiting is Hard

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14 (NIV) "Our hurry up, need it, gotta-have-it-now culture often makes us feel there’s something wrong with waiting and that we shouldn’t have to. Within seconds we can order a cute blouse from a trendy store, Skype with a friend across the country and text our husband a list of groceries to pick up on the way home. No wonder waiting can be hard to do. David, the author of today’s key verse, was no stranger to waiting and knew its difficulties full well. Out of nowhere, Samuel showed up at his home to anoint the next king of Israel, who was to be chosen from David’s family. Only one of Jesse’s sons would be anointed as God’s chosen king for His beloved Israel. The son elected was David. Scripture tells us the Spirit of God rushed over David and was with him the remainder of his days (1 Samuel 16:13 ESV). With such an anointing, we might expect David to run to the throne. But the only running David did was back to the pasture and his job as shepherd. Thus his wait began. In the wait, God prepared David to be king. The only vocation David knew was shepherding. He did not know the ins and outs of kingly protocol or have the support of the people or armies. Instead of taking the position he was promised, David waited for God to move him from the pasture to the palace. Waiting in the present is beneficial to our future. This is something David learned, along with many other lessons that we can find hope in during the difficulty of waiting. 1. Even though we are anointed and appointed we may still have to wait. David waited fifteen years to be king of Judah and even longer to be king of all Israel. 2. God’s ways are not our ways; His thoughts are not our thoughts. After being anointed and appointed David was called to serve Saul, the king who was sitting on 'his' throne. 3. God doesn’t waste time … He redeems it. The time of waiting will be used to prosper us in each season of life. 4. If we allow it, our waiting will bring us an intimate knowledge of the Savior that we would not otherwise have. Most of David’s beautiful and poetic psalms were written while in caves, caverns and the wilderness, waiting on God. 5. God doesn’t ignore the cries of His children. David cried, and at times begged God for help, invention and defense. God never let David down. He did eventually take the throne, didn’t he? 6. Our waiting has a purpose for someone other than ourselves. Just think of how rich our lives are today because of the wait David endured. We have the comfort, compassion, hope and healing of his amazing poetry. What awesome instructions David’s life gives for waiting! Waiting is less difficult and the future is brighter when we let God do His work in our waiting season. When we let our guard and defenses down He proves Himself faithful to bring His plans for our lives to fullness. Dear Lord, help me wait. Help me wait well. I want to be still and allow You to bring Your plan in my life to its fullness. I can’t do this without You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen." - Wendy Pope, Proverbs 31 Ministries