19: With Me, Waiting

2 Thessalonians 3: 5

And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God,

and into the patient waiting for Christ.

D&C 98: 1-3

1 Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;

2 Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament -- the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.

3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name's glory, saith the Lord.

With Me, Waiting

4/9/06

The Lord sits with me, waiting

While I wonder what's ahead

At this train stop for my future

With His peace - my patience fed.

I will not see its coming, though

For He, my sight, has hid

That I may learn to trust in Him

To walk as He may bid.

Others urge me leave this place

"No train is scheduled here"

They cannot see the One who sits

With promise it is near.

And so I sit here watching

As past cares pass me by

And dream of future hopes and joys

And dream of open sky.

For I must stay here waiting

Or the train I'll surely miss

But the Lord sits with me ever, still

To hear that engine's hiss.

Oi. One of the hardest parts of following the Lord's direction is when He wants us to wait. In a gospel that focuses so much on being proactive and productive, to purposely hold a specific position on serious issues is seen as highly negligent. In a goal oriented world where a regularly updated progress report is expected to be available, patiently waiting the Lord's timing is not often recognized for what it is.

Yet any true gardener knows that there are times and seasons important for successful growth. If you plant too soon, the plant may freeze and die before its proper season is here. If too late, it will not have time to grow to maturity. And once planted, you can't expect to pull the plant up and measure the growth of its roots everyday and still manage a strong, healthy plant - the strain would severely damage it.

We are all unique plants with our lives following a seasonal pattern that will not always match the general patterns around us. I have seen this in operation in my own life as well as others I have known. The trick is to live the best you can manage and trust in the personal guidance you receive from above.

15: Into the Setting Sun

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-12

1 to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and time to laugh; a time to mourn, and time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

Into the Setting Sun

12/4/05

The sun drifts down

Trailing ribbons of color

It's fleeing brilliance

Sets the world in relief

As it draws a blanket of

Stillness over the land.

Perhaps that is why

My heart is always drawn

Westward into the setting sun,

Wanting the light to return

To warm a troubled heart

To share the hidden beauties

To give light and life to all.

But the sun's path is set

And I must wait it's return.

I thank God that

In the dark of its absence

I learn to love

The light and life he brings.

Letting go is hard at times and it is often beyond our ability to control. But I think rather than settling into depression at a loss, it is better to consider what it provided and then turn yourself around to welcome the new opportunities afforded at the rising of a new day. It is by learning to recognize the value and beauty in what has passed that we can learn to recognize the potential in what is coming.

Joy In the Morning, by Natalie Sleeth

I prefer the recording I have of this song, but this was the best option of all the ones on YouTube. (The Judson University one came second.)

I've loved this song for years since singing it in high school and even learned how to play it, though it's been years since I've had piano access. This song was one of the very first on the playlist that helped me feel hope.