Wednesday

What are we waiting for? - A Dose of Encouragement


We have to wait for lots of things, some seem to take an eternity to happen and some not so long.  Some periods of waiting are long but seem shorter because you are in good company as you wait or you have something else to occupy you while you wait. 




 I rarely go anywhere without a puzzle to do, book to read or something to plan & a list to make when I know there might be something or someone to wait for.

I've waited for transport; I've waited for a journey to be completed; I've waited for an event to begin; I've waited for friends to arrive; I've waited for my mother while she was at hospital appointments; I've waited for my kids to get out of school or other events; I've waited for my kids to come home in the evenings; I've waited for my husband to finish a call for work so we can have lunch; I've waited for my father to come through an operation; I've waited for others when they've been busy talking to someone; I've waited for my husband to come home from business trips; I've waited at the dentist, doctor, hairdresser etc.






Then there are the things I've had to wait for that have involved a long period of months or years like waiting for Christmas, a birthday, my wedding day, each of the children to be born, a holiday time to arrive. 

There are also things that we don't consider we are waiting for but they are going to happen, the main example being the death of a loved one. 

During the past month I wasn't waiting for the month to be over but now it is over and the time, as we are always saying, "has just flown".  

          What did I do and what did I not do?  

                     What was I waiting for that happened or didn't happen?

Well we had different visitors, we went to a wedding, we visited family etc.  
Those were some of the things we waited for and they happened.  

But what about the things that didn't happen?  

I waited for a good time to restart being serious about losing more weight - didn't happen, I waited for a good time to clear out the garage - didn't happen, I waited for a good time to think more about writing this blog post - didn't happen until now during the next month. 

          Why did these things not happen?  

                    Simply because I allowed them not to happen.  

Always saying "not right now, too much else to do", or "not today, there will be another day when I feel more like doing it".  The whole month has gone and I could have done those things, but basically it was my choice not to.



We do not know how much time we have on this earth so what are we waiting for?







When I think of how easy it is for me to pass the month and keep simply putting things off to "another day" I can understand how many people put off thinking about the most important question in their lives - 



What will I do about Jesus?   


Putting it off to another day is not just setting it aside without a decision, like it is "pending", instead, it is the same as saying 



I don't want Jesus in my life.  


We cannot say "Jesus just hold on until I'm older, or until I have sorted out the rest of my life" it doesn't work that way.  We are really saying  "no"  to Jesus each time we put it off.


Will we follow what the Bible tells us to do?






Because this is what He wants us to do.




Because this is what makes this life really worthwhile.



Because this is what we have always been waiting for   -   what we were created for.












We do not know how much time we have on this earth so what are we waiting for?


The longer we wait to do something the harder it gets to actually buckle down and do it.

  
 Oh how the devil loves that because it keeps so many people 
just where he wants them  -  away from the Saviour.







If you want to think about this some more or see just how simple it is to believe and have faith in Jesus then please watch the short video  3.2.1  at the top of my sidebar.



Here are some other  Doses of Encouragement



Daddy ........ Chips??? Decision Time - A Dose of Encouragement


Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

Who likes to have to make them? there must be someone?







Several years ago there was a television ad in the UK for McCain oven chips

Daddy ........ Chips?


Our family loved it and forever, yes even still now we go "Daddy.......chips", when there are two things we would like but have to make the decision between the two.  It's our way of saying this is very tricky as we really like or want to do both and a sort of plea of

Do we have to decide?


Oh why can't things be simple we often say. Sometimes I am heard to complain why do things all happen together, why can't we have events spaced out more? Why does one week have to be very busy and the next one relatively free?

Why is it that when you want to go away for a while there will be something just have to occur in the middle of that time frame?

One month we were so busy and made several trips back to our birth town of Londonderry each just for a few days but for several months before that we weren't back there at all.  Then I saw the clippers were coming into Londonderry at the end of that month but just felt that we couldn't really justify the 2 hour journey each way to go back yet again.



Sad to say we missed a really great event.






Sometimes I like to make the effort to do different things even if they are sort of smaller things but may turn out to be quite enjoyable.

The first Sunday of the this month we went to Belfast to have lunch there with our son Daniel and then went on into the city centre to see the street theatre the circus school were organising. Fred was a bit dubious but I assured him we would have a relaxing time and be entertained. Well he enjoyed it - I could tell by how he clapped and laughed.







Now do we mention the restaurant or not?

Daniel says it is what you call modern /cool but I didn't think it was either. The food was okay, but I think that if I am paying to go somewhere and eat that I want nice surroundings and comfortable seats. I really don't want to be in a room where they have mismatched, chairs, plates etc.
Okay so I'm not cool!

We didn't have time to sample their coffee however and as it was an Italian place 
the coffee could have made a big difference.

I would have liked to have been able to go back to Belfast each Sunday afternoon this month and enjoy the Street Theatre & I am hoping for good weather.

But  

It did make our Sunday rather busy with Church in the morning, driving to Belfast, lunch, street theatres, driving home again, preparation for the music for church in the evening and then church itself again.

However 

Every day can be busy and we need to remember to keep time in each of those days for God

                    especially on Sunday

                                        but not just on Sunday

And 

That is often where we have to make another of those  Daddy ........ Chips? decisions

Bible Reading & Prayer  ....... TV, Book, Tidy up etc.


I know for some people first thing in the morning is just not the suitable time for us to read and pray regularly so some other time in the day needs to be found.
This is also not always easy with busy homes, families, work schedules and we are often left feeling tired, too busy ..... and it is so tempting to go for the Chips decision - you know the one where we get to have what seems nicest and tempts us with relaxation and a treat maybe.

But

Look at that other word in our phrase

Daddy

and think of how spending time with God our Father can teach us, refresh us and encourage us for the next busy day, week, month .....






At that decision time let's be ready to plump for the one that is going to be a lasting help and comfort and not the temporary one.


Do you have a Daddy ........ Chips? decision time?



Well we also had tea and biscuits after the evening service that Sunday so we didn't get home until after 9 o'clock to be greeted by the phone ringing and our oldest son Jonathan declaring


 "Are you only getting in now?   

What kept you?    

Well my day has been busy!"


He just had to hold on for a while until I made a cup of tea for Fred and got a coffee for me and then we sat down and listened to his day.






There could have been the temptation to say.

Coffee ........ Jonathan? 


but fortunately for him there are some pleasures you can have together and not have to make the big decision, because that could have been a difficult one, seeing how fond I am of my coffee.








Do you have a Daddy ........ Chips decision time?



You are very welcome to read my other  Doses of Encouragement







Praise and Old Friends - A Dose of Encouragement


Fred (my husband) and I along with 2 old friends from university days went to the Keith & Kristyn Getty concert in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast last week. 


We love going to Praise events but don't often have such an opportunity as this one.






 The Gettys were joined by Stuart Townend who co-wrote the modern hymn "In Christ Alone" with them and also some other pieces. 

I have to say that I enjoyed the pieces Stuart was involved in most but overall it was a good night out made better by going with friends. 

The four of us had dinner first in Benedicts restaurant which Fred & I had only been to once before on the graduation of our son Daniel from Queens University (a great university but then I'm biased because both Fred & I studied there).  

We had been living in Belgium for over 6 years and had not seen these friends all during that time and also for a few years before that but when it is true friends the time gap doesn't matter.  Yes there is more to catch up on but the familiarity and the ease of conversation and the knowledge of the care and understanding on each side is still there.



True friendship lasts throughout any space of time.

Let's Praise and Thank God for Old friends (and New friends).






This was the third night of concerts in the Waterfront for the Gettys and it is lovely to think of so many people singing God's praise there together.


Do you keep in touch with old friends?

I'm grateful for old friends, aren't you?



You are very welcome to read my other