Carl spends most of his day in the waiting mode. He is either waiting for the delivery of food, human contact, or a good walk around the block. When he is in the act of waiting, it is clear that this is not what he wants to do. He demonstrates this by looking right at us and letting out a squeal that reminds you of a wild pig. When this tactic doesn’t work, he will lay down on the floor and produce a pitiful expression.
No one likes to wait. It makes us feel awkward and uncomfortable. Just yesterday I went to the drive in window at my bank and found one car in front of me. Given my most recent wait times, I was expecting a couple of minutes but after five minutes, I began to fight off feelings of agitation. When my watch indicated that I had been waiting ten minutes, I began to think of ways to get out of line.
Waiting in line is one thing but waiting in life is completely different. Have you ever thought of the times that you believed it was time to receive what you wanted and how you felt when you had to wait?
So often we make plans and insert them into our heart only to come up empty. It could be a successful career, a spouse, a baby, a huge house, and the list goes on and on. No matter what your situation is in life, you are probably waiting for something.
Proverbs 16:9 states a simple fact that can be easily understood but hard to digest. “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”
In other words, we can make plans and become passionate about them but God will have the final say on what will actually happen. We also need to remember that God does this because He loves us. He knows when it is best for us to wait and when it is time to be given what we desire.
As I have grown older and hopefully a little wiser, I can reflect back on my life and look at the times of waiting as a blessing. I had to wait to become pregnant with both of my children and know I appreciate them much more because of the wait. And at the other end of life, my husband and I had to wait for the death of our parents. All four of them had terminal illnesses that lingered for months and for one, years.
During these times of waiting, my character was revealed. Many days were spent in a constant desire to be in a different place of life. But even as difficult as it was, I do believe God intentionally placed me in a state of waiting to refine me.
It is too bad that Carl doesn’t change due to all of the waiting he has had to endure. I have heard the waiting that we go through referred to as the white spaces in our lives. I find it fitting that Carl happens to be a white dog and thus the white space that has made his home in my life.
Thanks, Cora, for this today. I have been waiting for my eyes to receive the right prescription for some glasses and for new contacts that I need badly. It has been all summer that I have gone through this waiting going to one doctor then the next, then back to the other doctor and etc. Today I go to see if he can change the prescription so I can see out of my glasses. Then I have to go 3 days before Sept 4th in order for him to get the right size for my new contacts. In the meantime I am trying to get things done for the Bible Study and other things……but….like you say, it is in God’s timing and I can’t do anything except wait. So, when I say your lesson today it touched my heart. Hopefully I can keep waiting without getting too frustrated. Thanks, Cora. Love you, Kathleen
On Tue, Aug 28, 2018 at 5:49 AM The Adventures of Carl wrote:
> coradarrah posted: “Carl spends most of his day in the waiting mode. He is > either waiting for the delivery of food, human contact, or a good walk > around the block. When he is in the act of waiting, it is clear that this > is not what he wants to do. He demonstrates this by lo” >
Kathleen, I can understand why you would be frustrated during this time. It makes me wonder what God is actively doing in your life during your wait. Thanks for your comments! It means a great deal to me. Let’s hope that we are together this fall.