Do you ever have those times in your life when you feel everything is in flux and nothing can be resolved? It is a time when you know things will sort themselves out, but you just have this desire to finish something so you have some closure and then can move on to the next thing. It is that feeling that there is something caught in the flow of your life routine and it is causing a dam to form, and all you want to do is get the flow going again. Do you ever have those feelings?

For me personally right now, I am headed into the busiest time of my church season. I have two week long summer mission trips, Vacation Bible School, lots of bases to cover Sunday mornings in children’s ministries, youth Summer Sunday School, weekly youth events, fun summer events, a pastoral change, and that is just the church stuff. At home we are still in limbo over our flooring struggles, dealing with poor customer service, preparing for a week-long vacation and family wedding, and on top of that my kid is coming to visit the week after we get back from the vacation.

Do not get me wrong, I am not complaining, I am excited about all these things happening, but right now I am at a point of let’s get things going! Once things do get going it is going to be a whirlwind of a summer! It is like waiting for that hurricane to come. When I was in Florida, hurricanes were a big deal. We had four direct hits on our home. We would watch the weather reports for ten days out or better. Then the storm would hit, and then we would access the damage and get to work on the clean-up. The worst part of all that for me was the actual day or two before the storm hit, the waiting.

I hate waiting. I know what is coming, and I know what I need to do to get ready, and then I just have to wait. I get impatient. I am probably a little more crabby than usual (hard to believe, I know!). I am just ready to get on with the next thing. Well, Jesus has some advice for me, and you if you feel this way too. He is famous for telling people to just wait.

I am thinking of that early body of followers that is left after Jesus is crucified and later resurrected. There has to have been so much emotional and mental energy and feelings in that body of believers. There had to be a great fear of their personal safety, because they knew they all had targets on their backs from their own religious system. They were also super-charged emotionally as they were first hand witnesses to God’s power in the resurrection. Through all of their experiences with Jesus they had become a super tight community. They also found themselves in a period of waiting. Acts 1:4 says: ^“ Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.”

So, what are they doing during this time of waiting? They are meeting together, praying together, and eating together as they wait in Jerusalem for the next God movement. Maybe that is what I should be doing before the busy summer hits, praying and waiting on the Lord. It is something I have a hard time doing, but it is necessary for all of us to remember that between the busyness of days, our refreshment comes in those times when we need to wait for what God is going to do next. Waiting can be good for us. It may not be fun, but if during the times of waiting we turn our minds and hearts towards God, then we will be ready for what comes next!

On the journey, one day at a time!

Pastor Richard