Gift #7 Trust in God

I'm finally posting about the last chapter of the excellent book "Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting" (Whitcomb). Waiting helps us learn to trust in God. One idea in this section is making a container to serve as "God's In-box." Whatever you are worring about, just write it down and give it to God. It's a visual reminder that God cares and is at work in our situations.

She also talks about how we console ourselves with the thought that God's will be done in our situation. However, we seem to always have a negative view of this. She talks about how people always say "It must have been God's will" when tragic things happen. But we rarely say "It must have been God's will that I got that promotion at work." We need to remember that God is on our side. She quotes minister Wayne Muller who says we need to substitute "Thy love be done" in place of "Thy will be done."

God waits for us all the time to be in communication with Him. One of the easiest and best things we can do is "offer it up" to God through prayer.

Great book. I encourage you to read it for yourself. I think it will really speak to the spiritual person who is waiting and doesn't understand why they need to wait. Has it made the waiting easier? Not really. But, it has given the wait a stronger sense of purpose. I get the idea that God has some things he's teaching me throughout the waiting. Now the question is, am I learning my lessons?

My wise and wonderful 4 year old daughter said to me out of the blue a few days ago:
"Mommy, God is my best friend."
Mommy says (while choking on the bite of dinner I had just stuck in my mouth), "What did you say?"
"God is my best friend. We play together all the time. I can't see him yet, but he's my best friend. Why can't I see God again, Mommy?"
I go on to explain that God is way up high in heaven and even though we can't see him, he is always with us everywhere.

And even as I'm explaining this to her, I feel God explaining it to me. "Hey Big Girl, I'm with you too, ya know. Maybe you can't see me right this second in this situation, but I'm still there. Am I your best friend? Do you play/pray with me all the time?"

Oh, kids...they constantly teach us parents all about the important stuff in life, don't they? Here's wishing you a divine best friend while you wait!