Christmas Lights

Christmas lights. Aren't they pretty?

But for us, who are in divided homes and have waited so long for God to do something about it, sometimes things seem so dark and the Christmas lights seem so... worthless. We long for the light of a home completed in God's union and love. We wait.

It is interesting that as I have been developing studies from the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth on Christmas Lights, we had a guest preacher in our church Sunday night who brought a message on the same story. Read the story here.

Our guest preacher discussed the fact that John and Elizabeth had waited so long for a child. They were well past the child-bearing age. I can relate to the desire for a child. It took us 7 1/2 years to get our first child. There is a longing and emptiness there for those who want a child that no one can understand unless you have experienced it.

They had to wait. Did they fret about the wait? Were they frustrated? Likely so. They were human.

But they learned to wait in God's fulness.

The preacher (who is in his seventies himself) went on to say that he has found such a wonderful blessing in being God's child and could not want anything more. But, he said, there is one additional blessing that will give us even more joy than we can have by being God's child alone. He says he has found a secret to the blessing. His secret? Learn to love to wait.

What? Learn to love to wait? You gotta be kidding! Who would love to wait?

He went on to say that he plans to wait. He decides ahead of time what he will do in waiting lines at shopping centers, or other situations. He mentioned that at shopping centers he often seizes the opportunity when others are disgruntled at waiting to speak a word of calmness and find a way to talk with those in line. He has often turned it into a witnessing opportunity.

He suggested the possibility of carrying Scripture memory cards with us that can easily be pulled out to memorize Scripture in waiting situations.

He mentioned traffic situations where we are slowed down getting from one place to another. Use it as a time to observe others, learn how people react, and show them an example of Godliness and courtesy. Make being courteous in these situations a fun project, a contest to see how long you can be considerate and kind when everyone else is upset in the traffic.

Doesn't sound like fun? He said the only way you can accomplish this is to pray about it and ask God to help. He also reminded us that waiting is inevitable. We may as well learn to love it because it is going to be a part of our lives. Since we know it is coming, we can let it catch us off guard and be miserable, or we can plan to enjoy it and be happy.

Think of all the time you are wasting being miserable in waiting. Why not determine to enjoy the wait and provide yourself a lot more joy in your life?

That, ladies, brings us to the hardest wait of all. Some of us are waiting, waiting, waiting.... We wait for our homes to be repaired, shaped, strengthened. We're tired. We don't want to wait any longer.

Lord Jesus, help us learn to enjoy the time we wait. Our life has not stopped just because we wait. You have fulfillment for us in this wait.

We are determined to experience the abundance you brought us and walk in your peace. We are determined to stop longing for what we've lost or what we have never had.

Instead, we are going to make the most of this moment you have given us. We are going to live life more abundantly just like you promised we could.

We need you to do it for us. We are determined, but helpless. Lord, teach us how to wait in your joy. Amen.

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