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Sunday, June 15
to the person who cried out to God at 2:17pm
You submitted your prayer request on WeTheChurch.org this afternoon:
I'm middle-aged, and I'm STILL waiting for my life to begin. Please help me, God. I know you did not intend for me to live this way.
My heart ached for you when I read it.
Maybe you're still waiting for that husband or wife or baby to fill empty arms. Maybe you've spent your youth fighting a serious illness, or taking care of a loved one. Maybe your career never panned out, and you feel dead doing what you do to pay the bills. I don't know. Life serves each of us a unique slice of heartache.
What I do know is this: you're right that God did not intend for you to live this way. There you stand, stuck in line at the Counter of Life, starving your soul while you wait for exactly what you ordered. But the restaurant behind you hums with vibrant, noisy, terrifying life, and the unexpected buffet of all that He has for you right now waits for you to dish up His joy and peace for today.
Your life — God's life for you — began the day He called you His own. Come, pull a chair up to the table, and taste and see that He is good.
I'm middle-aged, and I'm STILL waiting for my life to begin. Please help me, God. I know you did not intend for me to live this way.
My heart ached for you when I read it.
Maybe you're still waiting for that husband or wife or baby to fill empty arms. Maybe you've spent your youth fighting a serious illness, or taking care of a loved one. Maybe your career never panned out, and you feel dead doing what you do to pay the bills. I don't know. Life serves each of us a unique slice of heartache.
What I do know is this: you're right that God did not intend for you to live this way. There you stand, stuck in line at the Counter of Life, starving your soul while you wait for exactly what you ordered. But the restaurant behind you hums with vibrant, noisy, terrifying life, and the unexpected buffet of all that He has for you right now waits for you to dish up His joy and peace for today.
Your life — God's life for you — began the day He called you His own. Come, pull a chair up to the table, and taste and see that He is good.
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I didn't post on We the Church, but I said those exact words yesterday. I know God did not intend for me to be sad all the time, lonely, stuck, weighted down with the daily problems of finances, marriage, etc. I understand with my head that God's life for me started when he called me his own, but my heart just cannot seem to get it. How do I get to the table? Are you sure there is a chair with my name on it?
Yes, you have a seat at the table. Sometimes the thing that keeps us from taking that seat is that we want what we ordered, rather than submitting to God fully and accepting what he orders for us. Take a deep breath and step to the counter in full faith that what he has for us is best. Let him show you the way, rather than pleading with him to give you what you think you want.
Anonymous #1: I hear you. If you're willing to reveal your ID and discuss off the blog, email me at kelly at gogracefellowship dot com. If you'd rather not now, I can give my best short answer in the comments. Just say the word.
I am Anon #1. I would love to hear your answer in the comment section.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Sure thing. I'll answer tonight, along with a new blog from the beach.
I didn't post on We the Church either, but I just said the same kind of thing to my friend earlier today. And the metaphors are great, but they don't really provide any specific instruction. What if you've been letting Him show you the way and you've got no clue? Are you supposed to be energetically waiting? I get tired waiting. I get depressed waiting. Does anyone have any better way to cope with this? Because waiting wears me out almost as much as doing my own thing.