Waiting on the Lord

This was during the months between November 2012 and March 2013 when we waited to see what God had for us.  We didn't wait long, but we didn't know how long we would be waiting....

Back in November (2012) Andrew and I decided it was TIME.  God was ready for us to think about going overseas.  We had felt we were in the right place and were at peace but no longer so:

We put in a general application with Mennonite Central Committee letting them know we wanted to go.  We figured we should let them know that we existed and we desired to go.  Wherever God wanted us.  How could they find us the "perfect" position if they didn't know we were willing?

We heard back from them..... wait for a position to show up on the service opportunity page.  We were a bit discouraged and we settled in to WAIT.

Then I heard a cool analogy.  I don't know how "biblical" it is for word studies and such, but it spoke to me and was just what I needed to hear.  Some encouragement while we waited.

Wait on the Lord.   Think of it as being a waiter.  A server for God.  God's sitting in your restaurant and you are waiting, listening, observing, and being very attentive.  You do the "little" things. Give a bottle of water for those who came out to raise awareness and money for the hungry.  Cooked a meal for teens with unstable homes, parents that are having a hard time making ends meet and can't be there to put a hot meal on the table all the time.  Help a friend move.  Teach Sunday school.  Talk to someone at work why you'd want to go to Africa when you have a good job with a decent income here.  Comfort a child who hurts himself.  Be patient with your own kids.  Be patient again.  And again.  Listen to a friend.  Encourage.  Hope your words are building others up.  (And there are times when I wasn't attuned into God and I missed things - a word spoken, frustration at my kids, inattentiveness to my husband - since I'm so busy serving the Lord).

I am a servant of the Lord, a waiter: attentive to Him, listening to Him, and watching for the opportunities he places in my daily life to come alongside Him and serve with Him.

I waited.  I listened.  I tried to be obedient.

(Sound too much like "works" to you?  Well, God doesn't need me to serve Him, to work with Him.  Because He loves me unconditionally I want to serve Him.  It's a privilege.  It's like when my kids are invited to "help" daddy build the latest project he's working on.  It might take longer, but it gets done and my kids learn so much from the process.  Especially how patient and loving daddy is (even when they mess up and make it so much harder!)