I originally posted this in October of 2008, but recently this verse keeps coming back to me. So, I thought I would re-post it for what ever reason.
"They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
The above verse is attached to the bottom of every email that my friend, Jenn sends out, replies to, or forwards on. I know other people who do the same thing, one attaches Jeremiah 29:11, another uses Colossians 3:23. A few days ago I received an email from her explaining that her grandmother had passed away and what a strong Christian woman she had been and now she was "reaping her rewards for her faithful service to the Lord," those where Jenn's words regarding her grandmother.
As I read the bottom of her email and came to the verse I started to think about the words "wait upon" and their meaning. It was like someone hit me over the head, that verse doesn't mean we are to sit around watching the clock go tick-tock and wait on the the Lord to renew our strength. No, the author didn't use the word "WAIT" alone, he used the words "WAIT UPON." I might be a little slower than others but, when the two words are used together they take on a verb meaning, "to perform the duties of an attendant or servant." Do you know how many times I have read that verse and never put it together? More than I would like to admit.
It is only then, when we "SERVE OR ATTEND TO THE LORD" that he will "RENEW OUR STRENGTH." For those of you who have ever worked as a Server or hosted an event, you try to do everything that your guest ask of you, without asking any questions in return,in exchange for a tip or reward for a job well done. What if we took on that same attitude when we serve the Lord? Can you imagine if we did everything He asked of us and never asked any questions in return? How would He reward us then? He tells us, "they shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." There is no big surprise here. If we serve him he rewards us, this is not a hard concept to grasp folks.
Recently our pastor spoke about how when you are praying and serving God be prepared for an answer. He used the following example: If you are praying for a job, be ready to receive two offers, because God rewards and gives favor to the people who serve Him. Kevin and I looked at each other knowing that word was for us. You see, Kevin has been looking and praying for a different job for about a year, something with better benefits, more responsibility, more flexibility, and more money. Two weeks later Kevin received two different job offers. Both offers had more responsibility, more flexibility, better benefits, and more money; everything we had prayed for, however, one would disrupt our current lifestyle and be a huge adjustment, the other would not disrupt our life at all. So, this week he started his new job with very little disruption. Usually I would be freaking out a little bit, but not this time. This time, there is complete peace in our house. He is excited about the new position and we know that this was designed by God's hand. It is amazing to me to think that He made it that simple. God and His Word are not difficult to understand, we are the ones who muck it up.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
storer or sharer?
We have all heard the saying, "don't sweat the small stuff." I use to worry and fret (Oklahoma word) over the small stuff. Daddy would tell me, "to stop worrying, whatever is going to be will be and worrying about it won't change the outcome." Well, lately I have started to take a closer look at the "small stuff" in my life. What I've realize is what we call "small stuff" is the stuff that really matters and it's not so small after all.
Look around your world. Look at what you have close to you. Right now, I have a blanket, a bible, a phone, and a bottle of water. Those are all small items, but provide warmth, direction, a way to communicate, and nourishment, all which are very big things. What about the even smaller things? I'm talking about when Kyler hugs me and says, "I'm glad that God made you my mom." That statement always causes a tear in my eye. The way I can actually feel my heart skip a beat when Jack touches my hand. The way my mom can smile with her eyes, it is amazing. I promise I've seen how much she loves me and her family through the smile in her eyes. The way Daddy can reassure me just by looking at me and saying my name in his sweet soft tone. I don't know how he does it, but I hope I never out grow that feeling.
How can some thing be so small and simple, but yet have such an impact in our life? It reminds me of the rain drops that are hitting my window. A single rain drop is a very little insignificant thing, but when it combines with other small rain drops that single small rain drop has the capability to cause a great flood. Like the single small meaningless rain drop, the small things in our life, when combined all together, can cause a flood of meaningful emotions.
I could name a thousand wonderful little things that I remember about my grand parents. The one that stands out the most, I didn't spend enough time with them. I'm not sure if I really understood the importance of spending time with family until I moved away from home. Our time has become such a precious commodity we have grown accustomed to budgeting it, sometimes better than our checkbook. With everything we have pulling us in all different directions; careers, kids, housework, homework, grocery shopping, extra-curricular activities, church, family time, honey-do lists, and all the other million things we have on our minds, it is so easy to look up and realize it's bedtime and we haven't said, "I love you, today" to anyone. A small simple four word sentence that can make a huge difference.
I've realized lately that the "small stuff" isn't so small after all. I still worry about the little things, I guess some things don't change, however, now I worry that I may not be giving out as much as I'm taking in. The smallest acts of kindness and sweet words we say to others are sometimes the biggest things that happen to them in a day. I'm trying to do my part and remember to pay it forward. I'm working on becoming more of a sharer and than a saver. When you share a kind word or just a smile, you are planting seeds of yourself in their lives and you never know how the rain will make them grow, but you might be surprised to see how fast a smile will appear. That's when it really is better to give than to receive.
Look around your world. Look at what you have close to you. Right now, I have a blanket, a bible, a phone, and a bottle of water. Those are all small items, but provide warmth, direction, a way to communicate, and nourishment, all which are very big things. What about the even smaller things? I'm talking about when Kyler hugs me and says, "I'm glad that God made you my mom." That statement always causes a tear in my eye. The way I can actually feel my heart skip a beat when Jack touches my hand. The way my mom can smile with her eyes, it is amazing. I promise I've seen how much she loves me and her family through the smile in her eyes. The way Daddy can reassure me just by looking at me and saying my name in his sweet soft tone. I don't know how he does it, but I hope I never out grow that feeling.
How can some thing be so small and simple, but yet have such an impact in our life? It reminds me of the rain drops that are hitting my window. A single rain drop is a very little insignificant thing, but when it combines with other small rain drops that single small rain drop has the capability to cause a great flood. Like the single small meaningless rain drop, the small things in our life, when combined all together, can cause a flood of meaningful emotions.
I could name a thousand wonderful little things that I remember about my grand parents. The one that stands out the most, I didn't spend enough time with them. I'm not sure if I really understood the importance of spending time with family until I moved away from home. Our time has become such a precious commodity we have grown accustomed to budgeting it, sometimes better than our checkbook. With everything we have pulling us in all different directions; careers, kids, housework, homework, grocery shopping, extra-curricular activities, church, family time, honey-do lists, and all the other million things we have on our minds, it is so easy to look up and realize it's bedtime and we haven't said, "I love you, today" to anyone. A small simple four word sentence that can make a huge difference.
I've realized lately that the "small stuff" isn't so small after all. I still worry about the little things, I guess some things don't change, however, now I worry that I may not be giving out as much as I'm taking in. The smallest acts of kindness and sweet words we say to others are sometimes the biggest things that happen to them in a day. I'm trying to do my part and remember to pay it forward. I'm working on becoming more of a sharer and than a saver. When you share a kind word or just a smile, you are planting seeds of yourself in their lives and you never know how the rain will make them grow, but you might be surprised to see how fast a smile will appear. That's when it really is better to give than to receive.
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