Waiting for Mangoes
"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning."
- Psalm 130:5-6
It's just about that mango time of year again and we are getting excited!
I was reminded of some sweet pictures and thoughts from last year that I never ended up posting. And although the waiting is still ever present for our mangoes to ripen enough to eat, Silas has become a little more patient in the mango-waiting-process...
I was reminded of some sweet pictures and thoughts from last year that I never ended up posting. And although the waiting is still ever present for our mangoes to ripen enough to eat, Silas has become a little more patient in the mango-waiting-process...
This time last year, Si had been going over to the tree and attempting to pick the mangoes
- green and unripe as they were. Sometimes he managed to capture one in his chubby fingers, stretching as far as they could to free it from its branch. And then was sorely disappointed when he attempted to take a bite. Peel and all.
And we find ourselves in the same season of waiting again.
Not only for those juicy bites of heaven but for countless other areas of life and ministry.
If it's not one thing, it's another.
And "the waiting" seems to take foreverrrr.
If it's not one thing, it's another.
And "the waiting" seems to take foreverrrr.
Like when I was 16 and hoped to be married by 21.
When I was 20 years old and couldn't wait for university to be over.
When I was 9 months pregnant, swollen and great with child.
For our first 4 years together in Canada, when we knew we'd transition our lives to Uganda.
Or now... as we step into a new and exciting season of building the foundation for Cultivate Discipleship to flourish.
It takes a lot of determination and energy to endure the waiting with grace.
Life is ALL about "the waiting."
That beautiful, haunting word that means, "staying where one is; delaying action until a particular time; remaining in readiness for some purpose."
Like when I try to explain to my mango-obsessed toddler that even though the mangoes are right there for his picking... they aren't ready yet. It doesn't go over well. A tantrum. An attempt to eat it anyways. Reminders that more time needs to pass before you can enjoy the "fruit" of the tree.
He has done much better this year. He knows to not pick them before mom says it's time. So, everyday this week has picked up ones that the other children in the compound have knocked down and brought them into the house saying, "Mom, I didn't pick these. They were on the ground." I smile back and encourage him that it's almost time.
He has done much better this year. He knows to not pick them before mom says it's time. So, everyday this week has picked up ones that the other children in the compound have knocked down and brought them into the house saying, "Mom, I didn't pick these. They were on the ground." I smile back and encourage him that it's almost time.
He is learning.
He is learning to be patient, yet still on the lookout for that promised time.
But what about you?
How do you handle those times of waiting?
With patience and peace or complaining and frustration?
I lean more to the complaining and frustration. I tend to forget that while I'm waiting, I am growing. Like the taste of an unripened mango that hasn't yet reached the full potential of what the fruit was meant to be, God knows the timing and when that harvest season will be upon you.
Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
Whatever it is.
Just give it up.
Surrender it to the One who knows what's before you and what you leave behind.
You can't rush some things.
The waiting must be endured.
But take heart! Something is happening below the surface. Something that is unseen.
Embrace the wait.
Maybe within this season, God has some incredible things for you to discover that you wouldn't otherwise have the time for.
How do you handle those times of waiting?
With patience and peace or complaining and frustration?
I lean more to the complaining and frustration. I tend to forget that while I'm waiting, I am growing. Like the taste of an unripened mango that hasn't yet reached the full potential of what the fruit was meant to be, God knows the timing and when that harvest season will be upon you.
Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
Just give it up.
Surrender it to the One who knows what's before you and what you leave behind.
You can't rush some things.
The waiting must be endured.
But take heart! Something is happening below the surface. Something that is unseen.
Embrace the wait.
Maybe within this season, God has some incredible things for you to discover that you wouldn't otherwise have the time for.
"Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one's thoughts" - Elisabeth Elliot
Comments
Post a Comment