Good news: We signed the Theater lease!

Now we’re praying for…
– CUP speed at the city
– Move out speed for the Regency
– Generosity toward the Step In campaign

More here: StepInHB.com

Our theater circumstances inspired the following thoughts about, “What to do when stuff is taking too long.” Hopefully you find this useful.

Blessings,

caleb

Sometime stuff takes too long. “Stuff” like new jobs, better circumstances, restored relationships, new theaters for your church… you get it. Generally speaking, we’re talking answers to prayers.

One interesting, mind-bending thing to consider is that God is outside of space and time. We’re bound by the clock, day, and limited focus of “now.” God is not. He lives in the every-now. For God, now is back then, right here, and up there. That being the case, his timing is not always our timing. And his perspective is much bigger than ours.

So, even though God, at times, seems late, he isn’t. His perspective is bigger and better than our own, and his story is so much more elaborate than you or I can imagine.

The question, then, is: What do we do when there’s nothing to do but wait? Or, how do we stay sane when stuff is taking too long?

The short answer is: Trust, and try and enjoy the journey. But here is a bit more about that…

When stuff seems to be taking too long it’s likely one or more of the following reasons:

You’re learning the virtue of patience. You are not God. Forced patience reminds you that not everything submits to your sense of urgency. Learning to be patient makes you a better human being. God can use “waiting” to make you more like himself. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience…

You’re learning something more. There are subtle skills you need to develop. Pressure that leads to patience has a way of forcing learning you might not otherwise invest in.

There are invisible things that need to be dealt with. Fight spiritual battles with spiritual weapons. (That means pray.) Our fights are not against human adversaries, but the enemy of God who is still tampering with outcomes on earth. Spoiler: that enemy doesn’t win.

It’s time to listen. When you’re desperate you pray. When you’re still desperate after praying you tend to listen. When you’re still desperate after listening, you’re more likely to embrace the path to which God leads you.

Be patient. Learn the lessons. Pray the prayers. Listen for direction.

Breakthrough is coming.

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A friend of Mariners took my recent sermon series, “Listen” (how to hear from God) and made it into an ebook. You can download it here.