All In Time

There's a poem that used to hang on the mirror of my bathroom when I was a teenage girl. It's called "Be Satisfied With Me" and if you haven't read it, you should (even if you aren't a teenager or a girl). I obviously had it hanging because at that age all you I thought about were boys, getting married, having a family, etc. It kind of started to consume my thoughts and life. So, I came across this poem somehow and put it on my mirror and read it (almost) every time I brushed my teeth, washed my face, or just stood in front of my mirror (ha!) It was a great reminder to myself that I should be satisfied in Christ first (before all things, including a boyfriend/husband/fill in the blank). I read it so much, that I'm pretty sure I have some lines memorized. It is something that meant a lot to me and has stayed with me throughout the years.

Yesterday, our church met in a different location. (For those who don't know, there was damage done to our church building by the storms we had last week.) Church was held at the BCM house across from GCSU.

I have the priviledge of helping lead worship with a group of people at Church Central. We usually practice on Sunday mornings before the service. Yesterday was no different. While waiting for the guys to get set up, I go to the restroom (homegirl drinks a lot of water). When I walk in, the very first thing I notice are the bright pink walls. As I wash my hands I look at the mirror and this is what I see..

Only the Lord (and Adam) know my heart lately. It has been heavy and hurting a little. As I re-read this poem, that I thought was only relevant at a certain time in my life, God spoke to me and reminded me that I need to stop worrying about fill in the blank. Stop being anxious. He has it all worked out for me.

"You just keep watching me, expecting the greatest things.
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am.
Keep listening and learning the things that I tell you.
Just wait, that’s all.

Don’t be anxious, don’t worry
Don’t look around at things others have gotten
Or that I have given them
Don’t look around at the things you think you want,
Just keep looking off and away up to me,
Or you’ll miss what I want to show you."

By the end of this line, I am in tears (as I almost am now). I'm just overwhelmed. Tired even. I put so much energy into planning, thinking, and worrying about things that, in reality, I cannot control. I feel ashamed and disgusted with myself; with the fact that I often focus more on the things this world offers than what God is trying to show and teach me. All of this happens in a matter of minutes. I hear the guitar start strumming and realize I have to pull it together. I dry my tears, talk to Jesus, regroup and out the door I go.

We had an amazing service by the way. It was awesome to see a group of believers praising God, even though we were somewhere different. It didn't matter that we were in a place most of us had never been before. It didn't matter that all the logistics concerning the service were different, because God is constant. He's the same yesterday, today, and will be tomorrow. He's the same here in central Georgia and waayy up north in Ohio. He's the same in the building where we normally meet for church and the one down the street that we are using temporarily. Like we all keep saying: The church isn't a building, it's a body (group) of believers.

So maybe you're not struggling with relationship issues (as the poem intends its audience to be); maybe you are; maybe it's something else. Right now, in this season of life, for me it is something else. But, the point of the poem is still relevant. God works things out in one of two ways: the ways we hope and pray for, or some other way that is better, even if we don't see it like that at the time. However you want to look at it, I trust that the Lord will work these things out in my life and in yours. All in His time.