what God wants.

At heart, we’re really impatient people. That’s why we microwave our food (or end up eating ramen), that’s why we send e-mails… that’s even why Facebook and GChat exist. We’d much rather check up on someone by opening Firefox and typing and clicking versus calling or meeting up with them. So many facets of our lives are fueled by impatience. I could name a few others. For example, I looked up how to solve the Rubik’s cube instead of trying to figure it out for my own (it may not have taken me 26 years), I drive through the express car wash rather than doing a much better job by hand, and I hate traffic.

I often pray for patience, for myself, and for others. I admit sometimes it’s one of the things on my laundry list of “good/spiritual-sounding” words, along with faith, hope, trust, wisdom, clarity, love. Patience to let go of our own desires, patience to wait on God’s will and God’s timing. Patience to lay our own wishes and wants down at God’s feet, and let him lead and guide.

I, too, often wish I weren’t single, that I’d have someone to share life and love with. Someone to sacrifice for, someone to care for, someone I could serve. But the problem is that I want it… now. I’m not really a patient person. Naturally, I would rather not wait on God’s timing and on his good and perfect provision. I’m of the opinion that if you want something, you should go get it. Instant gratification. “If you want to be in a romantic relationship with someone, go get ‘im (go get ‘er).”

Is that what I really want though? Is that what God wants for me? …maybe. But I definitely know what he DOES want, and it’s for me to love him more, and thus, obey him more. He wants me to grow in my walk with him. He wants me to be rooted in his word. He wants me to cultivate godly, loving relationships with his children, men and women. He wants every relationship to be a chance for me to show God’s love to others — the selfless action and obedience in love. Not the often-selfish feeling of love, but the seldom-selfless obedience of love. “Love and serve others as Christ loved you first,” God tells me.

And if this selfless action and obedience of love draws me closer to a human being that I might marry someday? All the better. But I know that first it’ll draw me nearer to Him who loved me first.

Love is patient.
-1 Corinthians 13:4

Filed under: thoughts on christianity, 1 corinthians, love, patience