Waiting for my beloved

Yesterday, I was taking care of a sweet five year old girl with a disease called Sanfilippo that makes her mentally undeveloped. While we were playing outside, we decided at one point to go down the long driveway to their front gate. Once we got down the driveway she grasped the gate and started calling out for her “mama.” She stared out the gate toward the street calling out for her mom every ten to fifteen seconds, sometimes not even allowing a second to pass before saying “hi mama” or yelling “mama” again.

With the clouds in the bright blue sky, the vibrant red, yellow and orange trees dancing in the breeze and the birds whistling their praises around us this beautiful fall day I was contented to stand beside her for a while. After about ten minutes I tried to grab her little hand and walk with her back up the driveway, but she definitely wasn’t going to give in to me. She turned back to grab the gate and call for “mama!” She was undeterred; she was intent on waiting for mom. So I decided to sit down there next to her, we were going to wait for mom.

Nothing was going to distract her. A large deer startled me as it pranced loudly clicking its hooves on the ground past us. She didn’t even follow it with her eyes. A neighbor drove by and waved, and she didn’t look. Every five minutes or so she would look back at me or the house for one to two seconds and then turn quickly back out the gate to call for mom.

After about twenty minutes, I realized that this situation was a gift to me from God. He wanted to remind me of something. He was painting an illustration into my mind of what it looks like to wait for the Lord’s coming. Just like this sweet little girl’s story, this is how I am to wait. Her mom had gone, she wanted her back, and she was going to wait intently for her return, because she knew she would return for her. Jesus Christ has gone, He’s in heaven with the Father, I want Him back, I need to wait intently for His return, because I know He is coming back because He never fails. He has promised in His Word that He is coming back for His Bride, so He will.

I fail badly at waiting for Him. I get sad waiting for Him, because I’m impatient. And in my impatience, I look to other things to put in His place. Because my faith is weak, I often forget how real it is that He IS coming back for me. But, God my Father wants me to wait for my beloved groom. He knows that is best and it is right. How horrible would it be for an engaged woman to be unfaithful to her beloved because he has not married her yet. There is more to an engagement than just planning the wedding day. The two hearts should be drawing closer together, developing a love for the other that was not there before, but should be there on that long awaited-for wedding day where they will be one. But unfaithfulness in either the man or woman would be devastating. They are promised to each other and no one else.

It is such a good picture of Christ and His Bride, the Church. In this time that we wait for Him, we should be developing a sweet, deep and intimate love with this beautiful and faithful groom that just wasn’t there before.

In love, God the Father predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will (Ephesians 1:5). The Father, chose me by the purpose of His will, and Jesus Christ purchased me through His blood (vs. 7). The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit work together in this beautiful redemption. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of these precious promises.

I’m so thankful to my Father in heaven who reminded me yesterday with this illustration and with the picture of marriage of how it is I am to be waiting for Christ’s return.

I am to be waiting expectantly for Christ’s return, undeterred by anything that passes by while I’m still waiting at the gate. And no matter who or what grabs my hand to take me up the driveway, I need to let go and turn away from it to look back to where Jesus will return. And like the engaged couple promised to each other, who focus their hearts on one another, growing in their love for each other and no one else, looking forward to their wedding day when they will be united as one for all their life.  I need to keep my heart focused on my beautiful Savior and groom, who died to make me His own.  His love is sweet, full and unending.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:1-3).

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Come quick, Lord Jesus!

So that you may know Him more and more,

❤ Kimberli Marie

You are Anxious and Troubled about many things, But One thing is Necessary

Dear Sovereign God, thank You for putting this story about your Son and Mary and Martha into Your Word. I find myself constantly in the shoes of Martha, the one anxious and troubled about many things, but desiring to be Mary, doing the one necessary thing. Here is the account from Luke 10:38-42:

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.

I want this portion of Scripture to speak for itself. Mary loved and adored Christ. The good portion is simply sitting with Him and listening to His heart, not wanting to go anywhere or do anything else while He is near.

I am far from this, but Lord willing I will continue to repent at His gentle rebukes. God’s love is sweet, and He is full of tenderness and grace. SEEK HIS FACE!

 

❤ So that we may know Him more and More.