GIVE ME! GIVE ME! I WANT MORE!
Proverbs 21:19 says, “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman” (See also Proverbs 19:13, Proverbs 21:9, and Proverbs 25:24). Why is it that Proverbs speaks of the contention of a woman more than once? Many people say that being contentious is being easily angered or not easily made happy. If I really want to get down to the main issue and put the microscope on my own life, I would have to say that being contentious is the opposite of being content. If there has ever been an area I have struggled in, it has been this area of being content. This problem begins when one is a child and grows as he enters adulthood. For a teenage girl, life is often about getting the next pretty outfit and then a week later not being satisfied because she has seen something she likes better. As you enter high school, you may see that many teenage girls already have a boyfriend. Some are allowed to talk on the phone with that new boyfriend; some girls have cell phones; and some have jobs. Seeing all of these new ventures of life, you may say, “Why can’t I have it all too? You know, I’ve been a trustworthy teenager and have obeyed my parents. I deserve to have a boyfriend or extra privileges now.”
In life, if you get good things at the wrong time, those good things can become bad things. Now that I’m married, I still have to live by this principle. Proverbs 19:13 says that “the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.” God spoke to my heart about this issue of being content and satisfied. He told me that if I’m not happy and content with a little money, I won’t be happy with much money. If I’m not happy in a small house, I won’t be happy in a big house. If I’m not content driving a plain car, I eventually won’t be happy driving a fancy car. The list goes on and on. If we can’t learn to be happy in the circumstances God has allowed us to be in now, then when we experience the abundant life we will become dissatisfied just like the children of Israel quickly did. This thought really scared me. What does it take to make us as women happy? If we are not careful, we will constantly be searching to gain the bigger and better and never be satisfied with just loving life. My husband is so wise and is continually teaching me. A quote he told me was this: “Relationships are life.” This statement really helped me. When I get older, I don’t want to have all that life has to offer and a big, fancy house that is immaculate, empty, and cold.
As a teenager, realize that having your parents tell you: “No, it’s not time to date yet; or no, you can’t get a job yet” doesn’t meant that the time will never come when you can have these things. Rather, when we wait for God’s perfect timing for GOOD things in life, we will experience the BIGGER and BETTER life. God has specifically told me “No” about some specific GOOD things in my life that I have been praying about for a few years. I thought that the time was perfect for God to do this GOOD thing in my life, and everything was falling into place for God to finally answer my prayers. Nevertheless, I’m back to square one again. It’s not a bad thing that I am praying for; it is a good thing. However, God says, “Jackie, it is not time yet. Trust me!” During these times of faith-building, when I decided to put my trust in God, I have seen other miracles take place and other amazing answers to prayer. One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Whenever I lose patience in waiting, I sing this verse to myself. There are so many Bible verses that talk about waiting on the Lord and having Him give strength. God wants us to wait for Him. My husband recently went out of town for a few days, and I just couldn’t wait for him to come home. I enjoyed making sure that the house was clean, that the sweet tea was made in the refrigerator, and that fresh Oreos were in the pantry. I could not wait to see his face, even though he had only been away a few days. I anticipated the minute when he would walk through our front door.
Don’t you think God wants us to feel that way about Him? Don’t you think He enjoys when we wait on Him? I believe so! Psalm 39:9 says, “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” God promises us blessings when we wait upon Him. Psalm 37 says again in verse 34: “Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.”
Let me challenge you. Do not lose hope in waiting on the Lord. Instead, say, “God, I am so excited that I get to wait on You to work. I promise that I will let You grow patience in me as You mold me to become more like You.”
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Curtis Simmons
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Brother Parker
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