Calm Down and Wait

I woke up to an inevitable mess this morning…well scratch that…it was definitely avoidable, I just didn’t act quickly enough and there goes the rest…one of my dogs got sick and though I heard her yelping this morning to go out.  I kind of allowed my sleepiness aka laziness have its way instead….and the moment I realized what was going on, it was too late…YAK!

I know that’s not the most aesthetically pleasing picture for a Sunday morning…but imagine how I felt about the smell!

EEEW!!!  Out steps the dog and in steps ODOBAN to the rescue….

Anyway, while Angel was whining,  I didn’t just lay silent in bed.  I’m a light sleeper so I actually responded, “Calm down, just wait!”  Yes, I treated her as if she were a human and as if she had the ability to do what I’d requested on cue…dog people should get that..

But for those of you who either have been misled into thinking that cats are an acceptable companion and not the irritating piece of furry vermin with claws they really are or that you’re perfectly okay with no four-legged critters around, I’ll explain further.

Needless to say, my request was fruitless…she’s a dog and while she obeys many commands and there are days when I just know she “gets me” more than any other human on the planet, she can’t be expected to follow my instruction in mid-yak!  I mean it’s involuntary and like us, when we get sick of something and have to purge, it’s a not so nice feeling that we aren’t exactly able to stomach either…pun intended….

Now that I’ve grossed you out so far…I guess I should find a point here..

Well, unlike my dog, when our Master tells us to calm down and wait, it’s in our best interest because not doing so is the only time there’s a mess to clean up. The kicker is that we do have a choice when we’re told to wait.

Why?  Because God loves us so much He allows us to have free will. I mean the Guy spoke and there was night and day so of course He could’ve created of us to obey on demand, but that’s not how God rolls.

The problem is we rarely listen to His advice the first, second, or even third time.  I guilty here!

Yep, sometimes I have to learn my lesson over and over again before I get it.

Like the little lesson I learned over the past few days, there’s a definite benefit to stop worrying, look at the situation objectively, and listening to what God says about it before you respond. In fact, just last weekend while on a road trip, I found myself giving another young lady the same advice…go figure….rather, I told her that waiting is her best option when she mentioned, ” I mean I want to be married like yesterday!”

It’s not the first time I’d heard her say that and given my own history, I couldn’t dare allow her to make the same mistakes I had because of impatience.  Also, after talking some more with her and another friend, we all realized the one thing we had in common.  We were all sort of angry with our men…well, one girl seemed to be chronically upset with hers, but that’s a subject for another day.  I guess the situation wasn’t as funny as our laughter made it seem at the time, but as we vented we realized our abrupt actions led to a trivial pursuit of having it our way. Of course, the guys on the road trip gave us a hand in that revelation.

Nonetheless, perhaps our little battle of the sexes proved one thing.  We all essentially want the same thing in a committed relationship: to be loved unconditionally, respected, and appreciated; but men and women are different and it takes time for those differences to either compliment or repel one another.  Also it definitely helps if you know what makes you feel loved. Check out 5 love languages for singles…Awesome read!!!

Given that understanding, it’s important to know that marriage doesn’t start with the wedding.  It starts with God.  Unfortunately, however, we live in a microwave culture and because so many don’t take the time to wait on God’s approval, provision, and timing, far too many marriages end with the wedding.

Even still, unlike my lazy response to my dog’s cries for help, God understands our fragile ability to wait and He gives us grace to calm down and wait if we just listen.  Over time I’ve learned He also won’t leave me hanging like I left my poor Angel a little too long this morning.  For that, I’m grateful.

©2014 Nadia Davis. All Rights Reserved.