The Waiting Is the Hardest Part - January 7

Truths observed at the intersection of faith and life by Crosswalk.com editors [Crosswalk.com Logo]( Crosswalk: The Devotional [Devotionals]( [Newsletters]( [e-Cards]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Crosswalk the Devotional]( The Waiting is the Hardest Part by Veronica Neffinger “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” ([Psalm 27:14]( Did you ever realize how good things nearly always take time? As children, waiting can seem like agony. We don’t want to think about the hours that must slowly slip by until school lets out, until summer comes back around, or until our favorite uncle comes to visit again. As adults, our impatience is little lessened, albeit perhaps better concealed. In our [culture]( of immediacy, having patience is even more difficult and out of reach. We are used to multitasking and packing each day with so much busyness that we seldom have time to hear our own voices. This impatience for results, for productivity is, I believe, something that we, as Christians, must learn to surrender, will have to learn to surrender if we are going to keep growing. Have you ever noticed that good things nearly always come about because of a process; oftentimes, a long process? Conversely, it seems many bad things are those that happen in an instant: a car crash that turns your life upside down, a quick word hurled out in anger which breaks a relationship, a split-second decision to give in to peer-pressure. Now, of course not all split-second decisions lead to negative consequences, but there is a striking parallel here: As we are jumping from one thing to the next on a continual cycle of busyness, spiralling away from deep understanding and hovering on the periphery of thought, God is seeking to work against the entropy we have created, making the disparate parts of our life into something beautiful. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( You May Also Like: [7 Toxic Attitudes to Let Go of This New Year]( Debbie McDaniel There are certain attitudes and choices that, over time, can become toxic to our spiritual walk. They’ll lead us down wrong pathways, or cause us to drift away from God. And although we know it to be true, it seems that we just feel helpless to lay down the old nature. It’s all too easy, especially in times of pressure and stress, to pick up what we’re most familiar with. And so the cycle goes on, and our hearts become hardened. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Your Words Matter: What the Bible Says about a Potty Mouth]( Kristen Terrette Culture says they’re simply words. But is this true? And what does it matter to us as believers? [CONTINUE READING →]( [Crosswalk.com Logo]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Unsubscribe From This Email]( [Email Preference Center]( | [View in Browser]( © 2018 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk.com - The Devotional. [Link](