by Beth Vogt @BethVogt
Sometimes the
situations we are in don’t change. We look and we look, and there’s no door
marked EXIT.
Okay, yes, I’ll make
this blog post personal.
I’m dealing with
several ongoing situations that, by definition — ongoing, right? —
haven’t changed. Circumstances haven’t budged for months.
Chronic health issues?
Still here.
Strained relationships?
Still here.
Some things I can’t
fix. I can’t demand an end date. I’m on hold … waiting … learning patience,
yes. Or, as Henri Nouwen said: I’m learning to be willing to stay where
I am and live these situations out to the full believing that something hidden
here will be revealed.
Willingness
is an odd combination of faith in God’s presence in the midst of these
difficulties and releasing my preconceived ideas about my life. Holding on to trust and
letting go of expectations. An uneasy balance, that.
One of the things I’ve
learned in all this waiting is to stop being so quick to take the blame for
everything … and to stop being just as quick to cast blame. Shouldering blame
or expecting someone else to bear the burden of blame are equal sins. I’ve
taken far too much credit for far too many problems, which has separated
me from God, from others, and from a true estimation of myself.
Yes, I need to own up
to my wrong actions. But guilt is not a mandatory and I do not need to carry
that weight every time someone offers it to me.
And the waiting
times? That’s often when God does His best work in my life — if I let Him.
In Your Words:
What hidden things have been revealed to you during times of waiting?
TWEETABLE
Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.”
A nonfiction writer and editor who said she’d never write fiction, Beth is now a novelist with Howard Books. She enjoys writing inspirational contemporary romance because she believes there’s more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us. Connect with Beth on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or check out her blog on quotes, In Others’ Words.