I'm Fine-Not waiting
Updated: Jul 13, 2022
Welcome friends to another week. Today millions of people say they are fine, but they are not fine. Society has taught us to “just do it” and go on like nothing happens. We deny we need help due to stigma and other factors. I am not against counseling; I have been there. However, so often we do not wait on God and try to fix things ourselves, we mess it up.
As I was thinking about this blog, I recalled my former boss. The district attorney’s office employed nine of us to enforce child support orders. Our staff consisted of an attorney, five-county caseload managers, and three computer specialists. Our job was to enforce court orders within Tennessee and out of state. It was hard, stressful work. We traveled to our county of responsibility many days to meet with parents and other attorneys. Two women out of the nine were Christians. They always talked about church and God. The remainder of us did not want anything to do with God. Personally, my life was a wreck though I attended church. At the time, I thought, no one could tell me anything. Now that I look back, the one caseworker- Annie, was terrific. She never pushed but casually mentioned I needed God, while another person was very dogmatic, which ultimately turned me off from mentioning God. During this time, I was of another faith but not saved.
I still remember talking about Christ numerous times (when we could talk about Christ at work without getting into trouble,) but I was happy with my religion (there's a difference between religion and faith). Conversations about Christ turned me off though I pretended to care. Over 30 years ago, the ladies invited me to church, fed me when I did not have any food, and stuck by me while my life was upside down. I grasped at every straw; I would not accept Christ from the heart. My church was great; I thought I was okay. I am reminded today of the lyrics from Matthew West’s song; I’m Fine: “I’m fine, yeah, I’m fine. Yeah, I’m fine. But I’m not. I’m broken.” I was broken and would not accept the fix- Jesus. I did not want to wait for him to fix me or my life.
I am not alone in this nonacceptance. Like me, many people say they are fine, but they are not okay. Their lives are a wreck. However, pride keeps them from accepting the one true God. I even consulted psychics during this stage who did not know anything about the situation and could not see the future. However, I was fine. I smiled and did my job, but inside I was a wreck. I wanted to fix my life like “yesterday.” I did not want to wait on him to fix it. However, God is merciful, slow to anger, and he waits for us to come to him. As I was once told, he is a gentleman and will not push himself on us.
Through the years, I learned God makes everything right when he was ready. I am sure he wanted me to get to where I knew I needed him. Amazingly, he did not take me from the earth during that time. After moving to another part of the county, we did not have any food in the house-nothing. A lady from work and my priest brought enough food so we could eat for days. Even after my attitude, God fed us.
There are over 133 instances in the Bible where he tells us to wait on him. Psalm 27:14 is one of the verses: Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! The world conditions us to get things when we want them. For instance, Amazon delivers the next day and Purflix.com delivers instant entertainment- choose a movie.
One of the best examples of waiting on God was Sarai or Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who waited for a child for many years. In the beginning, she wanted a child on her terms, so she sent her maid to her husband. She was about 99 when she gave birth to Isaac. (Genesis 21:10) Another example is King David, who waited 15 years to become King. Moses waited 40 years before leading the people out of Egypt, and Jacob and Esau were born after Rebekah waited for 20 years. God is never slack in his promises.
That said, many of us today continue to say I am fine while in the meantime drowning in sorrow, depression, and despair (I am not knocking anyone with depression- I was once there.) However, we are not okay. Life has kicked us to the ends of the earth. Then instead of waiting for God to fix us and the situation, we try to fix it ourselves, which makes a bigger mess, just as Sarai did when she gave her maid Haggar to Abram. (Gen 16) During the “I’m fine” part, we are broken and do not realize God will answer our prayers when ready. In my case, I wanted a quick fix, which is typical of many of us today; I did not wait for God to answer. Society conditions us to expect instant resolutions to our problems. In reality, God does not work that way. He works in his time, not ours, so we must wait on him. I realize this blog touches on a few ideas from my last blog; however, this thought is worth repeating. We are not fine at times. We need Christ to fix our lives. That said, we also have to wait for him. Whenever we try to fix problems ourselves, we usually make matters worse. Our society teaches now! God, on the other hand, teaches us to wait! wait! Wait!
No, I was not fine, I was not okay. We need a savior. For those who have not already committed their lives to Christ, he stands ready and waiting to forgive. For those who already trust him; we are human and sometimes get impatient like Sarah. In that case, we are not fine, yet. I am still learning this concept- of waiting on Christ. In my human form, I desire instant problem resolution. It does not happen instantly as the world teaches- but when God is ready to answer our prayers, even if it takes years. The old saying is this: He will not come when we want him, but he is always on time.” For those unsure about salvation, please speak with a pastor or another Christian friend.
I hope this week’s blog has been a blessing. Please subscribe to Dorothy Burrell on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUp3arHvH_ZMI1pXGx8vz4w or visit me at: https://www.savedheartfaith.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/Savedheartfaith-111123278133440
Thank you for visiting, have a great week.
