Life is full of waiting. “Sometimes life is like that endless circle on the computer screen going around and around and we are just not loaded and operating like we want to be.”

This quote from a Wisconsin minister resonated with me, since there is a lot of waiting in this household in caregiving – day and night. 

A whirling circle on my computer, and not hooking up on Skype is frustrating.  My son and I have a standing date – to Skype on Monday.  The message we received yesterday was Server is not connected.  I remember in the early days of tube television, when a connection failed, we slapped or hit the offending TV.  Aggressive behavior, and it is easy to extend that behavior to others if we are offended for any reason. 

Life is filled with waiting, and not being connected to our Lord.  It is how we respond to the broken connection that matters all through life.  How many times we want to lash out with impatience, angry words and unkind words to others.  Apostle Paul writes – Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.  Instead, be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:31-32.

Brant Hansen, in his book, Unoffendable, says – “Anger is extraordinarily easy. It’s our default setting. Love is very difficult. Love is a miracle.” 

The only way we can love like Jesus loves, is to follow and love Jesus – without judgement of others.  Another quote from the book Unoffendable is – “Your life will become less stressful when you give up your right to anger and offense.”  The right to judgement and anger belongs to God alone.  Our right is to obey, follow and love Him, and learn to love others – with a forgiving heart.

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 – There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords.  But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.

There is no rationalization we can concoct that makes our anger, our hate, our disapproval and judgement on others just.  Judgement belongs to God alone.  We are not Him. Only when we realize who we are and we accept Jesus as our Savior, can we find peace.  We will falter, lose our way, but we will find peace through the forgiveness of Jesus alone.

Romans 15:7-9 – Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles;  I will sing praises to your name.”

Philippians 4:7-9 – Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Our lifetime is spent learning and processing the WHO God IS to us.  When we are young…we are able to do much for the Lord.  But this can lead to forgetting, it is not what we do for Him, but being His.  Salvation is a free gift.  There is no way to pay our way into eternity.  All our ‘doing’ is simply a response to understanding the unending immensity of the gloriousness of our Lord God. 

Philippians 3:12-14 –  I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

As our human strength fails us and we see the end of our lives zooming up to confront us, what can we do to respond to His Great Love?  A saintly older man found a way to serve God, as he lay on the couch trying to calm his heart.  He was no longer able to serve God using his bodily strength.   He held the church directory and prayed for his brothers and sisters in Christ, one by one. The one thing he could do is pray!

King David, a man after God’s own heart said – Psalm 27:3-5 –Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid.  Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

The lyrics of the song – One Thing Remains…tugs at my heart to remember….Higher than the mountains that I face – Stronger than the power of the grave – Constant through the trial and the change….One thing… Remains …Your love never fails, never gives up…Never runs out on me …. On and on and on and on it goes – It overwhelms and satisfies my soul – And I never, ever, have to be afraid – One thing remains.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_KXsMCJgBQ

“Only one thing does not change.  God is taking care of us.”  A friend from China told me recently as we chatted.

Comments? eacombs@eacombs@cox.net