Capacity for waiting

Capacity is the maximum amount that can be contained, produced, or held, whether it's the volume of a container or the number of people an event can hold. (According to AI)

This brings to mind, what is your capacity for waiting?

We've been discussing answers to prayer the last couple of weeks here on the Journey. 

For instance, we know there are three answers to prayer: Yes, No, and Wait.

I first shared some of my "Yes" answers to prayer, but later I realized I should have specified my answer to praying for healing of infertility was a "Wait," long before it ever became a "Yes."

It took ten long years of waiting; of fielding questions such as, "When are you going to start your family?"; ten years of watching the nieces and nephews unwrap their Christmas presents with excitement and wishing you had a child to share the joy; being present at many Mother's Day celebrations and baby showers knowing they might never be celebrations for you. 

It's hard.

But, I guarantee after you receive the answer you have been longing for, the agony of waiting all those years fades. Oh yes, you remember the angst; but the joy of the answer takes away the sting.

I felt my capacity for waiting had reached the end and decided to get on with my life. I even learned to put the idea of motherhood on the back burner. 

And then, when I least expected it, what I thought was stomach flu turned out to be morning sickness. Baby Elissa Joy showed up!

God had not forgotten my request even though I had chosen not to dwell on it anymore.

His timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways.

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The above post was written in response to the Five Minute Friday prompt, "capacity." 

The above response was written in 5 minutes; but I've more to say!

The idea of waiting is often a tough pill to swallow. We live in a microwave and fast food culture. We get aggravated if we have to wait in a drive through line. We often complain to each other that we used to be able to order off Amazon prime and get it within two days. We forget that waiting 4 days for something to arrive from across the country is still a marvel! We want what we want and we want it now.

God doesn't work quickly. He works on time. He is weaving all our stories together to make something good, something greater than we could ask or think.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NKJV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us Ephesians 3:20 NKJV 

The surprising part? There are benefits to waiting:

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 NLT

 

This means as we wait for God to move, He will give us fresh strength. Waiting is not passive, it is actively seeking Him and His will. Great things will come from this type of waiting! 

How much capacity do you have for waiting?

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Also, I'm thrilled to tell you the book, "A Family's Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," is now available. One of the chapters in that book was written by me; and I now have an Amazon author's page that has all the details. Click here.

Also, have you read my series, "Armed and Dangerous" about spiritual warfare? Click the links for part 1, part 2 and part 3

Sharing at Five Minute Friday, Let's Have Coffee

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy.

Real and Authentic

Last week, I wrote about past experiences that built my tust in God and gave examples of answered prayer.

But to be real and authentic, I must also share with you times He said "No" to a prayer, or even "Wait."

Once, we lived in Indiana for about 4 years. This was a time of great poverty, yet some of our greatest spiritual growth. It was also when we saw the biggest answer to  prayer in the form of a "Yes," which was the natural biological birth of our first daughter.

However; during that time there was also an answer to prayer in the form of a "No."

Our house in Illinois was being rented; yet we longed to sell it and get out from under the financial burden. Many prayers had been lifted heavenward concerning this debt, but no answer came. The house just would not sell.

Now, I had reasoned, "I pay my tithes, I give whatever I can in offerings, I've been faithful to you, God. Why will You not let our house sell?"

But God knew something I didn't. Jim would lose his job and we would have to go back home.  We would need a place to stay.

More importantly, that house would be paid off when in the future Jim became ill and was unable to work. How thankful I was that at least I didn't have to worry about a mortgage when I became the breadwinner!

God was actually kind to say "No" to my prayer of asking for the house to sell.

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So, we see God's best for us might require a "No" answer from Him. Always trust Him and know He sees things we don't know.

Next time, we will talk about when God says "Wait."

This post was written in response to the Five Minute Friday community's prompt, "real" The post was written in 5 minutes; looking up scripture and creating the graphic took longer.

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Also, I'm thrilled to tell you the book, "A Family's Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," is now available. One of the chapters in that book was written by me; and I now have an Amazon author's page that has all the details. Click here.

Also, have you read my series, "Armed and Dangerous" about spiritual warfare? Click the links for part 1, part 2 and part 3

Sharing at Five Minute Friday and Remember Me Monday, InstaEncouragement Link-Up, Let's Have Coffee

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy.

Let Me Explain

But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord. Always be ready to defend your confidence ⌞in God⌟ when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defense with gentleness and respect.  1 Peter 3:15 GOD’S WORD Translation

 

If you were to ask me to explain why I trust God, I'd have to tell you about the past.

I trust God because He has never let me down.

He was there when my doctor said, "Without some type of fertility drug, you will never give birth."

But instead, God touched me and my husband at an altar of prayer during a revival.

Today, we have three children born naturally without any fertility treatments. We have three grand children, as well!

Or, I could tell you about the time my husband was out of work, and we decided to stand on the Word of God. We copied scriptures of provision onto a clipboard and I prayed them over and over while my husband went to the place where he wanted to work and inquired if there was an opening. There was not; however, they hired him anyway because of his experience. God will create a job for you, if need be!

I could tell you about the time my husband thought the engine on our only reliable means of transportation seemed to be locked up and would not start. We had zero options to fix it or get another car. Following the leading of the Holy Spirit, we went out there, popped the hood, anointed the engine with cooking oil, and prayed. Guess what? My husband slid into the seat and turned the key with trembling fingers and the ENGINE STARTED!

We drove that car two more years.

Those are just a few examples of God's faithfulness to me.

How do you explain your faith?

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This post was written in response the Five Minute Friday community's prompt, "explain." The post was written in 5 minutes; looking up scripture and creating the graphic took longer.

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Also, I'm thrilled to tell you the book, "A Family's Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," is now available. One of the chapters in that book was written by me; and I now have an Amazon author's page that has all the details. Click here.

Sharing at Five Minute Friday and Remember Me Monday and Let's Have Coffee

The Thrill of Knowing

According to the Oxford dictionaries, a thrill seeker is "a person who is eager to take part in exciting activities that involve physical risk."

I have a friend who loves to do thrill seeking activities like finding the most challenging roller-coaster rides. She will travel all over the country to find them. 

I, myself, while on a rollercoaster, am clutching my heart and praying fervently.

Since I'm afraid of heights, bungee jumping, mountain climbing and sky diving are off-limits.

But, there is a thrill that I am seeking. Instead of physical risk, this thrill requires shutting down distractions and becoming still.

I'm talking about seeking the manifest presence of the Lord.

I know the voice of the Lord is a still small voice, a whisper, if you will. (See 1 Kings 19:11-13) I'm hungry to hear His voice.

It takes shutting out distractions. It takes focusing on Him, and most of all, it takes TIME! 

I don't know about you; but time here on earth is my most precious resource. I often waste it; yet, I'm aware of the fact that it is limited.

Each day brings me closer to the end.

The wisest investment of my time is the thrill of knowing Him.

What would be a thrill for you?

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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This post was written in response to the prompt "thrill" provided by the Five Minute Friday community. As always, I'm late to the party, but spent five minutes writing my post, then used extra time to look up scriptures and make a graphic.

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Also, I'm thrilled to tell you the book, "A Family's Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," is now available. One of the chapters in that book was written by me; and I now have an Amazon author's page that has all the details. Click here.

Sharing at Five Minute Friday and Let's Have Coffee

It Only Takes a Spark

 

This week's prompt from the Five Minute Friday community is "spark."  The first thought that came to my mind was the old song, "Pass It On," whose first verse goes like this:

It only takes a spark
To get a fire going
And soon all those around
Can warm up in its glowing
That's how it is with God's love
Once you've experienced it
You spread His love to ev'ryone
You want to pass it on
Sung by Evie
Written by Kurt Kaiser

But as for writing my freewrite for 5 minutes, I decided to go a different direction.

START

Sometimes, it only takes one person to spark a movement. In recent days, we have seen how Erika Kirk's decision to forgive her husband's killer sparked a lot of conversation influencing others to forgive the person who brought pain into their lives.

Then I thought about the first martyr, Stephen, whose dramatic stoning ended with him asking the Lord to not charge the mob with sin - they didn't know what they were doing.

Stephen was actually following the example of Jesus whose last words also asked the Father to forgive those crucifying Him.

The bible tells us that there was a man named Saul at whose feet the mob parked their coats while they stoned Stephen. It implies Saul was in agreement with the crowd's decision to take matters in their own hands.

But Stephen's forgiveness sparked a new way of looking at things in Saul's mind.

Saul tried to dismiss what happenened but he could not.

And one day, Saul had a Damascus Road experience where he did a 180 degree turn in his thinking and became Paul, perhaps one of God's most effective champions for Christ.

I believe Stephen's death sparked Saul's change of mind because the Lord told him it was hard for Saul to go against his pricks of conscience.

It only took the spark of Stephen's forgiveness prayer to start a conversion that would turn the world upside down.

STOP

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

See Acts 7:54-60

Acts 9:3-20

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Sharing at Five Minute Friday 

InstaEncouragements Link-U 

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What Will You Leave Behind?

Legacy has been on my mind this month.

Unless you have been living off the grid up until now, you have probably heard of the tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk. I had not heard of him until he was assassinated. I don't know all the reasons the shooter decided to do this horrible deed; but it's safe to say he wanted to silence Charlie.

In the days since, one thing I discovered about Charlie was he was not ashamed to proclaim his Christian faith. And so, Charlie leaves behind a legacy of boldness and a love for Jesus. 

It seems many have decided to pick up his mantle.

The next week after his death, the Hope*Books Collaboration book, "A Family Legacy: Passing Down Love, Wisdom and Tradition," was released. I'm one of the contributors to the book and I am so pleased and excited. It has been a life long dream to become a published author.

I love this book because 9 of us authors became vulnerable and shared the gentle and intentional ways our grandparents passed down their values to us. All these ways of leaving a legacy required them to spend time and attention with their families.

Perhaps they didn't stand on a stage and declare their faith; but their everyday actions started a ripple effect through their children and grandchildren.

Both of these events made me realize everyone will leave a legacy whether they intend to or not. And, you never know when your last day to make an impression will come. Will you model a life lived for your faith? Or will you leave behind the memory of someone more concerned about themselves than others. You're only here for a short time. Which will you choose? 

Granny Violet's example show us tht a woman who had nothing in the world's eyes could build a rich community of friends and family who could feed each other, meet needs, provide fellowship, and pray for one another.

This is one of the insights I share in my chapter of the new collaborative book. If you’re looking for encouragement and practical wisdom, check it out here.

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home. 

Sharing at InstaEncouragements Link-Up, Let's Have Coffee

Pick Me!

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. 2 Chronicles 16:9a NASB1995

I have read this verse multiple times, but one day, when I was in a worship service, this verse was quoted. I suddenly imagined myself jumping up and down and waving my arms, shouting, ''Pick me! Pick me!"

This brought a smile to my lips. But I don't have to jump up and down to attract His attention.

I just need to make sure my heart is completely His.

This verse means God is searching for loyal hearts so He can defend them. He knows the enemy uses every means possible to derail us from believing. But God is greater and will defend and support every heart that wants to believe.

You can rest on that fact.

All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy. 

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This post was written in response to the Five Minute Friday prompt, "pick." As always, I wrote the post in 5 minutes, but took extra time to look up scripture and make a graphic.

Last October, I wrote a scripture prayer focusing on other verses that tells of God watching over us. I'd love to share it with you now:

The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night. 
The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
Psalm 121:6-8 New Living Translation

Father,

Such comforting verses! You are watching; and even when Harm comes our way, You are there. You will make it all work out for the good of Your children.

Why worry? Why fret?

We trust You, Lord, for You are good and there is not a shadow of darkness in You.

Lord, be with us as we begin our week. Give us divine appointments that we keep as we represent You in everything we say and do.

Cleanse us from all unrighteousness, Lord, and keep our eyes on YOU.

In Jesus’ name, so be it, amen.

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In light of what happened this week when believer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed for his beliefs, you might say, "Well, it doesn't look like God was watching over him." 

I believe God only allows events like this to happen to a believer when He has a plan to work something out for good. (See Romans 8:28) I believe Charlie's life will accomplish even more fruit now than before. (I had never even heard of Charlie Kirk until his death.)

It's a tough pill to swallow, but life on this earth isn't the main goal for the believer, or even the best thing. Being in the arms of Jesus is.

Charlie fulfilled his calling. May we go out and fulfill ours.

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Thanks for dropping by the Journey! I want to always share my post, A Ticket Home, for those who might not know the way Home.

Sharing at Five Minute Friday

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