Beyond Results

Me- "I want to read about God's promises... Where can I find a word on God's promise" (as I am flipping through the Bible).
Pam- "God's promises are throughout the whole bible, that's kinda what that book is about."

Don't you love it when the most simple, most obvious statement jolts you into life? Yes this book is about His promise. And in order to talk about God's promise the pages are filled with stories about people who waited on His promises. We read about the heros who lived by faith and saw certain promises come to pass and we read about others who died waiting.

Hebrews 11:13 reads 'All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not recieve the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.'

I've been trying to understand this whole idea of promises and faith, because there are two things here... One is the promise of Jesus, His Kingdom, His glory- things that are above. The second, are His promises within our life. Looking something like these- 'God has promised me a husband, a wife, children, a career, security, health, a house, a position, a ministry, a vacation'...and so on and so forth.

Tonight I realize that I am finally out of this terrible season that I was in not too long ago of becoming more focused on the promises than on God's will. Focused on wanting to see His promises come to pass, or at the very least glimmers of their possible existance to help me have faith in waiting on Him...and that is the problem. My faith in the unseen was depending on seeing something!

It is a good question to ask, 'Is my faith in God largley based on what He will provide for me along the way?' Because if it is, how's it gonna be if things don't work out the way I had desired or even truly thought they would ...because there seemed to be so much confirmation that He had promised that particular thing for my life. (There was a prophesy, there was a sign, everyone agreed...)

What if God put something in my heart to pray for or work towards but the fruition would not be seen for another 20 or 30 yrs, do i want to live a life wondering when it's going to happen, questioning or even doubting if i even heard him at all?! Or do I want to live faithfully knowing that it is in His hands and His Will will happen by His hand and not by my own. This is where I have become more aimed at living in God's Will than living for what I want to see come out of living in God's Will. This means putting an end to all my wants as well as unwants! This is not easy. But it's what I aim for.

I realize through this that I am a result driven person. I want to see results and I want to see them now. And I think when I don't see them I am more likely to throw in the towel. This is when I step away from God's will and into my own. My life becomes directed on end results, I am living in my own will for my own want and dare I say for my own glory...It is only a matter of time before I begin sinking.

Today as I practiced my jab and hook in the mirror I was becoming more concerned with when the time comes that I can do it right then being in the moment. I began focusing on the results of my practice, I was more excited about seeing the fruits and at the same time imagining all the hard work I will have to put into making it happen. Seeing where I am at now and how far it seems from where I want to be was a bit discouraging. My arms are totally weak, i have no core strength at all and choreographing my hips and arms, wrists, and feet is like being at Ms. Junes Dance Center all over again- being that girl in the class that just couldn't dance. Fun times!

To achieve, excell, succeed...that has seemed to be the life-long drill in our culture. But to be still and wait on the Lord, not frantically waiting for His promises, or in this case depending on tangible results, that is where we will be rewarded with more than success and achievement.