Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Dear Diary..

On February 17, 2015, I ordered what would be the newest edition to my continuously growing literary collection. I vowed to myself that for the entire year I would indulge and continue to redevelop my love for reading. I challenged myself to start and finish one book a month and March was vastly approaching. That led me to the purchase of Lost and Found by Sarah D Jakes. I had already completed her devotional Colliding with Destiny in January, so I knew I was in for a treat. I love physical books; I love being able to highlight physical pages and build up my home’s library; this brings me pure pleasure. However, I had gotten into a new habit, buying Ebooks for my kindle app to instantly access books on my IPad. Are there areas in your life where you yearn for instant gratification? With the e-books, I knew I never had to wait for a book to restock or wait on the dreadful process of delivery.

However, on this evening I decided to get back to simple life pleasures and buy this book in its hardcover format (along with another great book, I had previously read on my Kindle because I couldn’t wait to read it). So I ordered my two books and now had to wait for their arrival patiently. Then the website presented me with an option, “start reading this book now.”

Have you ever been in that situation, where you are content on waiting for something and have made up your mind, this is the route I’m going to take. Decision made and final! Now all of a sudden, the enemy presents a shortcut, an easy path to your intended destination but not quite God’s route? You know, like deciding to climb the professional ladder with dignity and integrity, but five years in the game and struggle after struggle, you’re not where you expected or desire to be. Then the CEO of your firm offers you a once in a lifetime position while making a pass at you and you contemplate to yourself, “if it’s just one time who will know.” Or maybe you are the young college student away from home, in the early stages of her dreams, watching other women your age obtain bags and expensive shoes for doing not so graceful things. Then you meet a famous musician willing to give you everything you dreamed, but the relationship compromises your standards and morals. Or the 35-year-old successful woman, who has it all but her Boaz, becoming impatient she’s contemplating settling with the gentleman, she knows wasn’t sent by the Father. Patience develops character. When we take the shortcut, we lose lessons we were to gain along the way and character development.

Okay, let me finish. It’ll all make sense in the end. So back to my book purchase. So being the bookworm that I am, I said why of course I would love to embark on this sample and begin this masterpiece! So I start to read, and it’s good, just the first ten pages and its goooood! I turn the digital page but the sample has now ended, and it prompts “buy the full version here.” I didn’t even go looking for a quicker way in reading this book; it was presented to me! Now I was tempted to buy the kindle version, although I just paid for the hard copy version and it was on its way. I simply decided to lay down and went to sleep. Am I the only one, who when faced with difficult life decisions says “forget this!” and takes a nap. Lol

However, when I woke the next morning it was still on my mind, I couldn’t wait to dive into the book. Yes, book reading gets that serious for me. So again, I contemplated just buying the easy and accessible kindle version, while I waited for my copy to come into the mail.

Has God ever promised you something but you get tired of waiting for it? You know it’s coming because He is not a man that He should lie, His words never return to Him void, but you’re growing weary in the wait.

The next morning as I contemplated buying this book, the Lord spoke to me and He said,

“look at your impatience, you have become a product of this generation that thrives in instant gratification. I am building your endurance, I am building your patience, your character. But just as you need to be patient for your arrival of this book. You need to be patient in the arrival of my promises, my blessings. You cannot financially afford to buy an additional version of this book. Nor can you afford to become impatient, walking in your own will, delaying my blessings. I am not a God of instant gratification; I am a God of process because through my process masterpieces are developed. I need you to be patient for the package I am going to deliver to you. I have put thought, care, and love in what is to come. You simply need to wait”

I was also at a place where I couldn’t afford to forfeit the blessings God had in store for me due to my impatience. I had spent the majority of my life, making my own decisions, never consulting God. I had reached a place in life where I realized my ways were not working, and the best decision I could make was to follow the Lord’s will for my life. If that meant I had to wait, that’s what I was going to do. No matter how long that took. Most of you might be thinking that meant my husband, but honestly, that was least of my worries. A desire but not top of my list. I wait on a word from the Lord on all things, taking a job, quitting my job, even the name of my company. And yes, even for who He selected as my husband. I knew I could not be perfect, but I was sick of making these life-altering mistakes. So I decided to wait. I didn’t want the e-book version, the e-asy version of what was to come, especially in my destiny moves. I wanted the real thing. The physical, genuine, durable, versatile copy sent by the Lord.

Whatever you’re waiting for in life. Whether it takes four months, five years or 10 years. I pray for your strength to be patient. God’s word does not return void. Whatever He has promised you, it WILL come to pass. Isaiah 55:11. We must be still. Romans 8:25 states. He came so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Sometimes that means we have to WAIT, patiently.

Proverbs 25:15
Ecclesiastes 7:8
1 Corinthians 13:4
Psalm 75:2