Delay Does Not Mean Diminished

I have such fond memories growing up of my maternal grandmother.  She lived several hours from my childhood home and I didn’t get a chance to see her often, usually only around Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Every time my family was able to visit, she made me feel like a King.  As soon as our car pulled in her driveway, she was already standing at the door of her screened-in porch waiting for me to jump out of the car.  The car door would open and before my feet hit the ground, she would be there hugging me so tight I couldn’t breathe.  Of course, she would pinch my cheeks and tell me how much I had grown and how much I looked like my Dad, at his age. It was rather embarrassing actually but certainly great to hear.

For some reason, we always headed straight to her kitchen.  Actually, it was pretty obvious why I did that.  She had spent the entire day preparing everyone’s favorite dishes.  She knew I loved spaghetti and loved lemon pies.  There before my very eyes was a huge pot of spaghetti, enough to feed the town she lived in, and a wonderful smelling lemon meringue pie.  I could hardly wait to eat and eat some more and eat even more.  I’m not sure who enjoyed the food the most–her preparing everything and enjoying watching me enjoy her feast, or me actually gulping down every bit.

My grandmother loved her family and certainly loved me and my brothers.  Needless to say, we were spoiled rotten and enjoyed every minute of our time there.  But, as with all good things, it became time for our family to end our visit and start the long drive home.  It was always hard to leave because we all loved her so much and we knew it would be many months before we saw her again.  But, deep down inside, my sadness of leaving was balanced by the excitement of knowing there would be another trip coming down the road.

As a Christian most of my life, I can think of many times when life didn’t go my way.  Times of heartache and tragedy.  Times of financial hardship.  Times of wanting something great to happen in my life, but didn’t for some reason.  Times of being impatient with God’s timing and not understanding why HE was delaying things so much.  I needed (or so I thought) for things to happen now, not next week or next month, or next year.  I sometimes looked at my friends and co-workers and saw them as “ahead” of where I should be.  The frustration and impatience was terrible.

One thing I’ve learned over my many years as a Christian is that God’s timing is never the same as my timing.  HE knows what is best for me when it is best for me.  I just have to be willing to accept that timing, as hard as it is.  Many of you reading this article now are going through one of those seasons in your own life.  A season that seems like a desert.  A season where you just don’t understand why things are not happening as quickly as you think they should or when you think they should or even how you think they should happen.

If I am speaking to you right now, I would encourage you to take some spiritual deep breathes. Thank God for what HE has already done for you and remind yourself of the blessings HE has already bestowed upon you.  Don’t forget you are always in the palm of HIS hand.

I remember all those years ago leaving my grandmother’s house and knowing that it would be such a long time before I saw her again.  But, those many month’s of delays before I saw her again never diminished the excitement when I did get to hug her once again.  Always remember that the delays in God’s timing you may be experiencing in life now will never diminish your victory when God’s timing is right for your life.