Encouragement

The Value of Listening

March 26, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

Listening is underrated. We want to talk. About ourselves. Our challenges, successes and joys. But what of listening?

I mean really listening? Uh huh. What did you say?

Half-hearted attention to the person speaking is not really listening. Neither is being able to parrot back the last phrase of what was just said. (I was really good at that)

Really listening requires an undivided attention to the person speaking. As a Mom of one I was fully present when he was with me; I had to work full time when he was little so I treasured time and attention with him. As a stay at home Mom of two I perfected the “listening without paying attention” behavior while my hands and eyes were directed elsewhere. My youngest caught on and would reach my cheek and ever so gently pull my face toward him. Smart cookie.

Whatever could be more important than the stories of children? (I’m sure we can come up with a list. But really?)

I managed to grasp the value of listening by taking a parenting class where the basics of good listening skills were reviewed.

Eye contact.

Focus on speaker, free of distractions

I realized I had developed the skate by and appear as if behaviors. It hit me: I wasn’t really being present. I was giving away precious time to other truly less precious things.

I needed to be intentional. That was in 1997. I was 40. A little too late to the party?

This is one of my favorite quotes of George Eliot’s. Illustrated by my favorite whimsical artist, Mary Engelbreit. This has had a prominent place in my life for a.long.time.

There was hope! I could become a more attentive Mom. And wife. And friend. And teacher. It’s never too late…

1997 was in the days before smart phones with all the social media connection points. For you history buffs out there.

I was once told I ‘could distract myself in a paper bag’ so that should tell you a bit about how much challenge lay ahead for me to develop the value of listening. But being intentional, making the same choice again and again and again to focus my eye contact on who was speaking, to free myself (as much as possible) from distraction, to really listen; I began to change my behavior.

Being intentional.

I had the privilege of sitting next to a very intentional woman last evening. And listening to her speak about her life, her writing and her family’s intentional choices of simplicity. Tsh Oxenreider shared with all of us gathered to listen. Eyes on her, with few distractions. And great value came from that time. Tsh is very at ease in life; she confessed she doesn’t have all the answers and doesn’t want to lead in that way. She invites others to consider their intentions about family, money, priorities, schooling, travel. Tsh spoke a bit about her newest book Notes from a Blue Bike and the group of young women (I was the outlier) listening gleaned much. She also modeled the value of listening as she asked the group open-ended questions about their lives and was attentive to each woman’s response.

The value of listening. We can glean much from one another. What we do with what we take away is an intentional choice. Whether you’re a friend, wife, mom, sister, daughter, employee or employer, listening well is an intentional choice.

A step of intention. Who do you need to value listening to today?

What Seems Slow

March 18, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

What do you remember about hard things you’ve had to go through?

We really don’t remember actual pain. Our brains protect us from that portion of experience. Thankfully!

We remember hard things differently. They are tiring. Or challenging. Or exhausting. Or wounding. Most of the time we don’t want to repeat them.

Some things we go through aren’t hard emotionally as much as physically tiring or demanding. Like parenting toddlers/preschoolers. You wonder if they will ever get out of diapers. Or sleep through the night. Or give up their pacifier. Or not be such a picky eater. Or. Or. Or.

I want to stop for a moment to encourage you: it is not going to stay that way.

Sometimes our memories allow us to look back at hard things with a softened view; a redeemed perspective perhaps.

What seems slow and never ending actually was going by at a regular pace but for some reason we perceived it as long and slow.

This is a grandfather tree. In our little family it is THE grandfather tree. We discovered this tree one morning in 1997 on the walk from the dining hall to childcare at Mt Hermon Family Camp.

Why Grandfather? As a former elementary teacher, I had (still have, ahem) a lot of children’s books. We had read a book called the Grandpa Tree. It’s an actual phenomenon: as a tree grows, young trees sprout up around it from the cones or seed pods it drops. A few withstand the harshness of winters and winds sheltered by the older tree. Those few grow in a circle around the tree. You can find these in many forests.

This is the circle of redwoods surrounding the Grandfather Tree. I stood within this circle many mornings (and afternoons and evenings) while our youngest enjoyed climbing up and then down into the stump of the Grandfather Tree. And up and around and jumping off of and climbing up again. I’d like to remember all those moments as precious but I know reality. I wasn’t always playful and patient. I wanted to connect with my friends. Or get a coffee. Or just be by myself. Sometimes the slow repeated ritual was lost on me. But not on our son. He was an active guy. Both in physical as well as imaginative ways. He wanted me to climb up and get into the trunk too. To listen and hide. To imagine we were being chased. To play hide and seek from his brother. Lots of action around this Grandfather Tree.

It’s the growler on the right I’m referring to.

Those days seemed so long and slow and hard as I did toddler/preschooler duty. What was I in such a rush about anyway?

Those redwood trees didn’t hurry up and grow tall. They took the right amount of time. God’s time. It may seem long and slow in the moment but that’s just one perspective.

From where I stood this last weekend, back under the circle of redwoods surrounding the Grandfather Tree, that childhood flew by.

Now we long for time to slow down. To stand still. But it doesn’t. And it won’t for you either. So we are left with the present moments to pay attention and treasure. That is all. Pay attention.

I looked closely at the Grandfather Tree this past weekend. I noticed some details I didn’t remember. It had offered a way into enjoying time there:

A natural place to step on up to enjoy a seat. It’s as if many feet had made a way to share the space over many years. I wondered: How am I inviting others into my life? Do I make myself available to spend time together? Am I welcoming? Comfortable?

Something else I noticed as I studied the Grandfather Tree

Not only had it raised up its seedlings into full grown trees, there was still life within the stump. New growth. Evidence of a continuing purpose and renewal. That was comforting to me.

Of course it made me wonder: How am I evidencing new life and growth? Am I seeking to deepen my roots, to reach the necessary source of Life?

If you’re in the season with Littles still underfoot, this may seem whimsical and ridiculous because you are stretched thin from the very real demands of your 24/7 job of Mom. There is an end to all this. And trust me, when it comes you won’t be ready for it. Learn to take littles breaks within your day so that you can develop the habit of being present to them in the moments you’re on duty. Rest. Breathe. Refresh.

If you’re not yet a mom, use this season to grow deep roots so you’re ready for the demanding times ahead. Whether or not you are ever called upon to be a Mom, we need deep roots to withstand the storms of life.

And, if you’re in the season of looking back, what are you doing to continue to deepen your roots? To be inviting and sheltering to the youngers around you?

Please share your ideas; we all need encouragement!

Oh and if you’re so inclined, this is the lovely children’s book that we used to read that helped give The Grandfather Tree it’s name!

Back & Forth Living

March 11, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

Some days are easier than others to live life joyfully.

Great things happen. A friend comes to visit. Lots of laughter & deep conversation. Lots of considering it all joy when we encounter various trials.

Wait! What?

Yep. Consider it all joy. ALL JOY.

This was my view in our front yard last year.

When I look back too longingly I can get mired in melancholy. Woe is me don’t you feel sorry for me?

Well don’t. And neither do I. Yes this year has been a series of challenges that sometimes have challenged me just past what I thought I would ever be able to tolerate but I didn’t break. Or shrivel up & die. I certainly don’t want to be a tasteless pillar; immovable and unwilling to let go like Lot’s wife. I didn’t quit moving forward. And I’m here to tell you you can carry on too.

This life is hard. So many things don’t go the way we planned. There are disappointments. There are losses. And the very real pain that comes along with both. I truly believe we benefit greatly by being real with our pain. But even more important is that we get real with God and ask Him to use this pain for others’ good and His glory.

This is my new view. Same ladder. It was my grandfather’s. A connection with the past that I look back on with great joy and thankfulness in many ways. It’s also a bridge into moving forward; gardening is something that I HAVE to do. I must play in the dirt or I will shrivel up and die. (Not really but it sounds nice and dramatic. I’m the only girl around here…)

Moving forward, taking action, planting to grow are all symbolic of change. There is really only One that doesn’t change. All the rest of this existence changes. So getting to spend time with Him in whatever Way helps you connect with Him best is vital for your soul to thrive. Hanging out with God is vital for my soul too. My time of deep connection is in the outdoors. I am a Naturalist.

I still read the Word. Daily. I study and memorize passages. I love to share with others what connections I see. I am reminded of what I am passionate about: pouring into the lives of those who are younger than me.

That’s what back & forth living is really about for me. Looking back at what God has done; through history and my history. Looking forward to what He will do as He has promised. But also connecting the dots in the here and now while He is very present in our lives.

Back & Forth. So good. Join me?

What’s Eating You?

March 6, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

I love gardening. I’m not sure what part is my favorite; planning, shopping, digging in the dirt, watching things grow or enjoying the fruits (and veggies) of my labor.

These are peas with edible pods. Looking forward to watching them crawl up the trellis that will be put behind this box this weekend.

I also love when irrigation is free. We’ve experienced much needed rain recently so these babies have it good right now.

I didn’t go out to visit the garden the past two days because of the rain and the blessing of time with a visiting friend. But today this is what I discovered

And my immediate thought was “What’s eating you?!”

Although I couldn’t see the trails of glistening slime I knew this to be the work of the dreaded garden nemesis: the Snail.

I can deal with weeds (I have learned much about my heart from weeds) I am an organic gardener so pulling instead of spraying is my way. I have dealt with a variety of pests by spraying a non-toxic soap on the leaves of plants. I have also used marigolds and lady bugs to help with pest prevention with great results.

But snails! Just ewww! The best thing I ever did with snails was pay my sons to pick them, put them in a bucket and we took them to a pond where ducks visited. Ducks love snails. Isn’t that nice? I don’t love snails. I’ve used jar lids of beer (they’re gluttonous so they drink themselves to death) and I’ve also used copper tape with moderate success. When their slime gets on the tape it actually gives them a mild shock so they back away from the tape. Both of those you have to keep up with like weeding because the beer will evaporate and the tape will oxidize and lose its effectiveness. This time it will be copper tape.

A thought occurred to me this morning as I asked the question of my poor peas: it wasn’t just what’s eating them? What’s been eating me?

This past weekend my hubster and I attended a Family Life conference called The Art of Marriage. The material was so worthwhile. We had decided to go in part for the material but the bigger part was to meet new people from church and connect with others whom we had already met. Good enough reasons to spend a Friday night and the better part of Saturday together and away from home.

When the event was over, the hubster and I took a detour on the way home and stopped by OSH to get a part he needed for a project. I of course detoured through the garden center. It’s what I do.

As I wandered through I saw lovely 6 packs of marigolds so I chose two different colors to inter-plant for pest prevention. While I was wandering I was experiencing growing discontent; the opposite response for me when I see and walk among plants. I didn’t like how I was feeling but I didn’t know what was up. As the evening progressed so did my yucky discontented undercurrent. I talked it through with the hubster and got to vent a bit: none of it was about him or us. I felt better getting some blegh out.

It remained with me for 4 days. Souring my days. Preoccupying my thoughts. Discoloring my experiences. It was eating me. Like a slimy, good only for ducks snail.

Unmet expectations.

I’d experienced the effects of what was eating me but I hadn’t found it out. But God…when I had cried out to Him was quick to show me what was going on; like taking a flashlight out to the garden at night and catching the snails in the act!

I had expectations that I hadn’t been aware of and because they weren’t met, I was cranky like a disappointed child.

What are the expectations you have? They might be for your marriage. Your children’s behavior. Your friendships. Your family members.

Can you name them? Identifying what your expectations are is huge. Most of us operate from a set of expectations that we aren’t even truly aware of until something doesn’t work.

What do you do with unmet expectations? That is a great question and one that is a real process question to unpack. It depends. That is a lame answer I know but it’s true. I’ve faced the silent monster many times. I’ve handled it well and mostly not so well. This feeling of being eaten up is awful and hurts me just like it hurts the life of the plants.

This is how it’s worked this time:

I talked with a trusted friend who knows me well and holds my heart and thoughts sacred. My hubster.

I prayed asking the Lord to show me what was up. He is faithful.

I confessed to Him my hurts and how I was allowing them to poison my thoughts about others.

I admitted my vulnerability to the small group we are a part of; that was the hardest part–risking with near strangers. But that is the only way to be in real community is by taking risks to be known.

My process is still happening; there isn’t a quick fix for life, sorry to say. But I know that bringing the issues to the Light is the Best Way of moving forward and learning how to deal with what’s eating me.

What’s eating you?

Stumble in the Right Direction

March 4, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

I had the distinct privilege of talking on the phone this morning with a dear friend and prayer partner. I call it a distinct privilege on purpose. It’s always fun to talk with her; we laugh and I cry (I do that easily, ask anyone who knows me well) and we give and receive encouragement. So why was today’s conversation a “distinct privilege”?

It was distinct: clear, certain, emphatic

She had some very specific clear communication for me as my dear friend. She knows my heart and she knows my gifts/talents/skills and she knows where I am prone to fall.

She said clearly in response to my awareness of a need I would be skilled and experienced to fill: “that is a mud pit you don’t want to fall into.”

Distinct.

When I went on to share a bit about what I’ve been up to since we last spoke, she responded with more: “you are in a good place. You’re stumbling in the right direction.”

That statement caused me to grab a pen and write it on an envelope (the closest piece of paper at hand before I lost the words!)

Stumbling in the right direction.

We do stumble at times don’t we? We want to make a change, or do a creative project, or make a new friend. But things happen, sometimes out of our control and sometimes because of us. The change is harder than we thought. The project doesn’t work. The person we hoped to be a new friend we discover isn’t really a good fit.

Stumble.

A stumble isn’t a fall. There is hesitancy. There is the recognition of fear of falling and of embarrassment. But the motion of stumbling is usually moving you in the same direction you were originally going.

So stumbling in the right direction implies you were heading the right way in the first place. Which of course begets the question:

Do you know where you’re heading?

It seems like I have been in the business of answering that question for 7 years! But the process of coming to an answer has really been the evidence of ‘stumbling in the right direction.’ The fact that this process has taken me 7 years might say different things to different people, but for me the theme of these seven years has been clarity.

I have spent time asking God and family and friends, to help me find clarity. Help me see connections between experiences, talents, skills and gifts. How best to make use of those connections. I started a blog. Way back in 2007 when I turned 50! This is actually my 3^rd blog (the other two archives are connected here if you’re curious)

I became a Life Coach in 2009 as a connection of e.t.s.&g. (see above) I love listening and asking questions of my clients, helping them connect the dots in their lives.

I am speaking to women in mentoring roles and in front of groups as opportunities present themselves. I really love speaking encouragement to women!

I am writing. Not as much on paper as I have in my head to say but I am writing. Especially in my journal.

Through these actions I have gained clarity. I know why I am here. (at least at this moment!)

I found clarity in connecting a dot from a long time ago; so long ago, it was almost forgotten. It is actually a question for all of us:

What is the chief end of man? (think humanity here)

To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Yeah yeah, grown up Sunday school answer right? Not at all.

Sit with me here for a moment.

If all of my moments are given as a gift from God, then thanking Him for those moments brings Him glory. He gets the credit. Not me. So being thankful for even the hard, yucky stuff we all go through at one point or another, is half of the main purposewe are here.

The other half? It’s

linked to life itself—enjoying God forever. Not in forever. Right here. Right now. And it’s linked to thankfulness.

In everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

In my stumbling in the right direction, I stumbled upon an old maxim which is bedrock. The first question in The Westminster Catechism.

Which brings me round to why I said my conversation with my friend this morning was a ‘distinct privilege’. She is a gift of God to many. Her friendship and wisdom is refreshing. We all need people like this in our lives on as regular a basis as we can make time for. And we all need to thank God for the privilege that true friendship really is. A distinct privilege.

Two things for you to consider:

Where are you heading? Are you stumbling in the right direction? Into the arms of a loving God who gives good and perfect gifts?

Who are the friends with whom you have the distinct privilege of relating? How can you encourage them today?

Please share your thoughts; all your comments are moderated so if it’s too private for public reading, let me know and I won’t publish it here. I’d love to hear from you!

Learning to Be

February 10, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

When you move, are you the person who empties out all the boxes and hangs things on the walls within the first week? I love and admire you.

That’s not me.

I have to live in a space arrange and rearrange furniture; slowly figuring out what gets hung where.

That being said we have framed art leaning against the walls in different rooms, waiting for me to make the final decision. I love my hubster. He has his own opinions but not so much about things like decor.

Recently while I was away for the weekend with girlfriends he finished a project we had been working on together.
So happy with how this turned out!

I have been sorting through and organizing the ‘stuff’ we (think I) thought we (think I) needed to keep when we moved. I have been coming face to face with the realization that I have some mindset issues that need realigning. Somewhere along the line I developed the mindset that “things equate memories”. Giving up ‘things’ has been a challenge to my core. And yet we shed a lot prior to our move. I keep reminding myself of that while I see boxes of books we haven’t unpacked and all the boxes of scrapbook materials I haven’t even opened yet.

I am trying a new, gentle approach with myself. I am going through one box a day and shedding some more. It’s good to do this so that no one else needs to figure out what was important in the midst of all the knick-knacks and paddy whacks that I have stored!

The joy of going through this process is the freedom that it brings and the treasures that I find.

Here is one such treasure from a file of notes:

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

Joy is love’s strength

Peace is love’s security

Patience is love’s endurance

Kindness is love’s conduct

Goodness is love’s character

Faithfulness is love’s confidence

Gentleness is love’s humility

Self-control is love’s victory
Against such things there is no law.

You may recognize that someone has taken the passage of Galatians 5:22-23 and written it a little differently. If this offends your Biblical sensibilities I am sorry. But I see it as a beautiful way to go deeper into Who lives within us as Christ-followers.

God is Love. He is so much more but for the sake of conversation (and the length of this blog post) I want to focus on only one of His many perfect attributes.

This step by step, word by word look slows us down, giving us time to think about each attribute of the collective Fruit (evidence) of the Spirit in us.

All these character traits are a part of us. All the time they are present within us.
I used to look at these characteristics as individual to do lists of self-improvement and a measuring stick of how well I am doing as a Christian. If I was having a bad attitude day I was coming up short of a lot of fruit. Which gave me fuel for self-condemnation. But that perspective is neither accurate nor helpful. God’s Word also tells us there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If He is not condemning me then why am I so hard on myself?

We live this life one moment at a time. Not one day at a time. One moment. In this moment we can choose to speak kindly. We can choose to be gentle with our own heart. We can choose to show patience in the face of a repeated mistake because this moment will pass and a new moment with new possibilities follows. We choose our responses one moment at a time. Be present to God’s Presence within you. His fruit will be more and more evident, one moment at a time.

One of my favorite things about this sorting process is coming across treasures like this 3 x 5 card that remind me how far God has brought me and all the grace He has shown me in the process. How have you seen God at work in your life lately?

Learning to Walk

January 26, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, LIFE is HARD.

There I said it for you. For me. Our definition of hard may not be the same. No Matter. Hard is hard.

What we do with that reality tells a lot about us. Do we complain? (my worst character flaw) Do we whine? (another of my problems) Or do we learn to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called?

We can change you know. Not always our circumstances. But always our response to our circumstances.

I am encouraging myself here folks. When I spend an excessive amount of time navel gazing I find myself mired in self-pity and full of whining & complaining (twins born of the same toxic ilk!)

I really am a female version of the Apostle Peter. Impetuous. Loud. Speaking before thinking. And looking at Jesus then looking away and down at my circumstances. Every once in a while it’s good to lift up my head, look around and consider the realities, not my perceptions.

The result? A made – new perspective. Counting gifts, paying attention to others’ real needs, stepping out of myself and serving others, all help me to get my focus off my own issues and aware of the greater needs around me.

Today’s photo comes from a community of people who are risking for and trusting God in authenticity; in the middle of very real life challenges. Cancer. Abuse. Dark nights of the Soul.

Reading about their journeys may help you in yours. It certainly has helped me.

As you go about this Sabbath day, be reminded of a few vital truths as a Christ-follower: He is well acquainted with suffering; He told us we will have tribulation in this world, and He has overcome it; we have the opportunity to share in the fellowship of His sufferings; He will never leave you or forget you; His Holy Spirit is in you and He is your Comforter and Strength.

If you are struggling to believe any of these things, let’s talk. My prayer for you today is that you are

Learning to walk…

Learning to Believe

January 20, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

I know life is hard sometimes. Some days are worse than others. Some Mondays you just want a do over by the end of the day.

There’ll be days like this my momma said…

But you don’t have to throw in the towel, or bury your head under the pillow, or distract yourself with TV or incessant snacking.

Nope. You have other choices. Choices for your growth. For your good. For others’ good too. You can choose learning. Learning to Believe.

Learning to Believe you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. Learning to Believe God’s plans for you are for your welfare and not to harm you. (even when today doesn’t make sense) Learning to Believe you have the capacity to forgive the hurt that poured out on you from another today. Learning to Believe Truth.

Someone once told me that Faith is like a muscle. You need to exercise it to strengthen it. How do you exercise Faith?

Learning to Believe what may not make sense at first. Sometimes we need reminding of Truth. Actually, daily we need reminding. Why? Because we are forgetful people. Something doesn’t turn out the way we thought it would or should or could and we freak out. Why? Because we are broken people. We need reminding!

Reminders come in so many ways: a beautiful sunrise (if you’re up early!); birds chirping; a time of silence when the littles are napping; an email from a friend; an entry in Jesus Calling. He reminds us to Believe Him. To Trust Him. To grow our Faith in Him.

We need people around us who can be our co-workers in learning to Believe. We need people who can be like Aaron and Hur were to Moses; helping him lift up his hands in prayer to the Lord while the battle raged on in front of him. It’s a great story: read it in Exodus 17.

Who are your encouragers? Your prayer partners? Your cheerleaders? You’re co-workers in learning to Believe? We all need them.

Sometimes the hardest part of learning to Believe is being willing to risk sharing our very real needs. Instead of being authentic with others we believe a lie: we don’t want to impose, be a burden, or too much trouble; yet if someone asked you for a listening ear or for help, would you turn away from them?

Learning to Believe you are worth the trouble is sometimes one of the biggest hurdles of faith. Somehow we aren’t treasured and affirmed the way God sees us and we believe lies about ourselves. Learning to Believe God’s Truth about who you are is an exercise of faith. Daily.

Don’t give up! You can do this! Like any kind of learning, it’s filled with practice and mistakes. The best part of this is: God has got your back! He is in this learning process with you for the rest of your days!

What are you currently learning to Believe? How may I be an encourager to you today?

Step Out

January 17, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

As you begin this weekend, a time for rest and relaxation, a time to regroup from the week’s stress and obligation, I hope you will set aside the weight and simply be.

Rest.

As you take time to regroup remember God’s at work whether you see Him or not.

He is still on His throne and all you need to do is carry the Light of His Presence in you wherever you go.

Imago Dei

The Image of God that you bear as His child.

Step out with His Light and in His strength!

Learning to Wait

January 15, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

I’m not sure if anyone has ever asked this question in a poll of popular opinion: “What are your thoughts about having to wait?”, but I’d like to imagine that universally people don’t like it.

We are born learning to wait. Crying for food or clean diapers, as an infant we have to wait. Birthdays, summer vacation, Christmas: frustrate a child who must learn to wait. Babies take 9 months to develop prior to birth. Farmers plant crops and wait for them to spout and grow.

Of course if you live in a heavily populated area you might have this view daily:

Learning to wait is a skill that is imposed in the order of the universe. Some things are easier to wait for or through; others seem to demand far more skill at the game of waiting.

Young moms can’t wait until a child sleeps through the night; is potty trained; starts Kindergarten so the moms can have time to themselves again. I heard these words when I was in those early physically demanding years of parenting: “treasure these times. They go by so fast.” I smiled and said thank you while thinking “easy for you to say; you’re not the one getting up at 2:00 AM or changing diapers…”

But now I’m the one saying the same thing to young moms. And since my memory is still mostly intact, I remember what I thought so I imagine they smile at me through similar, barely tolerant, thoughts.

How can we learn to wait well in the season we’re living?

By slowing down. Learning to see. To hear. To appreciate what is.

I mentioned I am reading a great book by Jeff Goins, “The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing.” I find I am highlighting a lot of quotable statements and phrases of Jeff’s. Good authors are noteworthy. They make you think, reflect and hopefully germinate seeds of growth and change. One of the many great things is this:

“we were made to wait, to long for things unseen. This is the place from which dreams and desires come. It’s a place of trust–and we find it not in the resolution, but in the incompletion.”

I ponder and ponder his statement: we were made to wait. I think if we were made to wait it would be easier to do, like breathing. But waiting is a discipline; a learned skill. Anything we learn we must go through the cycle of learning: practice, make mistakes, adjust, try again, repeat.

Is it possible to be free of the challenge that waiting brings? Do we have to simply muddle through? Is there a source of help to get better at waiting? Yes I think it’s possible. Have I arrived there yet? No way!

Like so many things in life, waiting well is skill learned through process of trial/practice/error. The critical piece is what we do with the error. Grace or guilt? Gain wisdom or grow bitter?

Wait isn’t on the list of spiritual disciplines directly but it’s implied. Learning to wait is part of our spiritual development. Patience is in the list of fruit of the Spirit of God. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.”

Learning to wait is God’s idea. What we do in response to His idea can be our personal measure of our own spiritual maturity; not to judge others but to see where we are still growing.

I am learning to wait well. I don’t wait well yet. Process. How about you?