Candy Land wisdom

As my daughter unfolded the new Candy Land game from the box, the anticipation was building in her young little helper.  Avery waited...but really he just wanted to get his hands on the spinner.

I could see it in his eyes.  Actually, his little 3-year-old anxiety was wanting to touch the spinner, the game pieces, and the board.  All of it.  Candy Land was Lindsay's favorite board game as a child.  As she was setting out all the pieces quickly, the memories also unfolded between the two of us, about the hours and hours of entertainment this board game brought. 

I love how God teaches the simplest of life lessons in the smallest of ways.

As Avery waited for his turn, he quickly lost patience in the wait.  He wanted that spinner now and right now.  He wanted to control the arrow.  As I watched him, God simply spoke to my heart with..."I've heard your prayers, I know you are waiting."

Don't you wish God would whip out His giant arrow spinner board thingy, and simply just show us the next step to take?  And now please?

Avery’s age was at the root of his impatience.  All of you who have prayed for that "what's next" question, please raise your hand!?!  Don't you wish that your next step was laid out in a simple way like the Candy Land sidewalk?  

Do you pray that it would be?

Yeah, me too.  At least, I am not the only one...maybe you are ...

seeking God in your life’s direction

seeking God in a renewed commitment
or...just trying to keep your head above the turbulent waters of change.

Whatever your "what next" is, may I encourage you to simply lay it before the Lord and see what wisdom God will patiently teach you?

Jeremiah 29: 12-14 ~ "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.  When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.  Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. God’s Decree…'I’ll turn things around for you.’" (MSG)

You aren’t willing to wait for something you don’t love.  Yow-wee!  That one stung my heart a little too. 

No matter where you are on the sweet-filled sidewalk of life, we all have questions.  I have learned along the way that we have to trust the process.  When we are seeking God's best in the faith process, we have to trust the process in which God shows us.  

The book of Proverbs has quite the wisdom spin for a pure-focused life plan.  We also have to believe that God is working for us and not against us.  There are times when God asks you to take faith steps even when you can't see the whole picture.

You don't have to know all of God's plan to obey God's plan.

The win for Avery was to get to the King's Candy Castle, the end of the game.  My win is the obedience learned, a more peaceful patience, and a deeper and intense trust in God’s faithfulness.      

As God sees us faithful in our obedience He will lead us in the fullness of His wisdom.  We learn so much patience in the wait, and we have to trust God's spin of Sovereignty, that is if you want peace along with trusting God’s process.  He is the ONLY one who knows what is best for us. 

Romans 8:26-28 ~ "Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along.  If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." (MSG)

I love the word "pregnant" in the Message version, it's speaks of an almost urgent waiting process.  But with a pregnancy, it does have an end.  And that my friends, gives me hope.  

In our trusting, seeking, waiting, praying...there's hope.  We can't lose heart as God works ALL things out into something good, for our good, and works for the good of those who love Him.

Hope brings an end to the waiting process and transforms into patient rest in God’s process.  Hope reassures my obedience.  Hope triumphs doubt in prayer, and results in an expectation that God is working on my behalf.  Hope helps me to faithful and trust the process and obey God's wisdom.

Since I want His best, why would I want to grab the spinner thingy away from the One who can make all things possible?

His patient perfect plan is always worth my patient obedience.  This day and everyday of advent, make room in your heart for patience.  This time of year, we need more of that don't we?