and for some reason it seems as if the main ones encouraging singles to keep 'waiting on the Lord,' are already married, so then you think, "it's easy for you to say that, you married your high school sweetheart and been having sex on the regular for decades, but when I want it I can't get it because I'm still 'waiting on the Lord.' So then you leave the room thinking, "God, why are you moving so slowly? Where is my mate?" and then you begin to meditate on the fact that you're so tired of being alone like Al Green.
Then you think back to past relationships, or even prospects you turned down, and you think, "did I miss God somewhere?" or you wonder if you could just go back five years ago and say, 'yes' to that person you initially said 'no' to just because you didn't like the hairy mole inside his left ear.
Well one thing we can't do is go back in time, but one thing we can do is maximize the moment and stay encouraged while we wait. How do I do that? you might ask - well I'm glad you asked me :0)
I was reading a particular Scripture the other day and a particular word jumped out at me. I've always believed that as Christians, we are all running in this race called life, with the ultimate prize being obtaining the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, which means being all whom God has called us to be in Him, and eventually transitioning our spirits from inside our bodies to heaven to be forever with the Lord (thank God that as Christians we will never see death - glory to God Hallelujah! John 8:51)
Well, I've always known I was running in a race, but I never realized that I have a running partner. And, no, I'm not going to say it's God (even though He is on the inside giving you the power to run the race with His grace) however this particular running mate I'm speaking about is patience.
Hebrews 12:1 states:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
The Word of God says here, "...let us run with patience," so as we're running our Christian race, we have to make sure patience is running right beside us.
This Scripture also admonishes us to lay aside every weight. A weight is something that wears you down, or slows down your race. It can be a heavy load, or a burden - something that gets you off the focus of your race and off Jesus, but, instead has you focused more on the burden.
Examples of "weights" can be worry, doubt, fear, observing the wind or circumstance instead of keeping your eyes on the promise, taking on a care or anxiety instead of casting your care on Jesus, or walking by sight instead of walking by faith.
Hebrews 12:1 also speaks about the sin which easily besets us, which is also a weight. Sex outside of marriage slows down your race and, not only that, takes you totally off course. Not loving your neighbor or coveting another man's wife are also sins and weights which can take you off the course of your Christian race and lead you down a path of destruction.
Once we lay aside the sins and the weights, and grab a hold of patience as our running partner, then we can run our race with cheerful or hopeful endurance or constancy, which is the concordance definition of the word, patience.
And while you run, be sure and take your water, which is necessary for any race so that you can endure without passing out, which for the believer is the Word of God.
Daily, consistent doses of the Word of God will give you the fuel to run your race with the power of God's grace, and will keep His patience, which resides in the pit of your heart, active and alive in you as you run this race called life.
Run at a steady pace now, no need to sprint, and as you're running, be sure to look around, enjoy the sunshine and have fun during this season of your life, because the race is not given to the swift, but to him who can endure 'til the end.
Stay encouraged and call a fellow single friend today and let him or her know that you appreciate them during this season of waiting with cheerful endurance in the Lord.
Much love in Christ,
Kim Brooks
