In the sweetness of "not yet"

In the sweetness of "not yet" God is faithful.

I think so many times in my life I live for the destination and not the journey.  I've built my life, my college major, my career, my relationships and my marriage off of Point A to Point B. While it's not a bad thing to have a plan and know how and when you are going to get there; life tends to have a few more windy roads than I'd prefer. What I'm finding out lately is that it's okay to have windy roads.

This morning I was reflecting on Galatians 4: 1-8. Paul was talking to the churches in Galatia and he tells them that those who will in the future inherit their fathers property are currently children. This means that while they are still children they are to obey those who care for them. Paul goes on to say that we were the same way until Jesus (our inheritance) came to free us and make us his child. When I said yes to Jesus I was receiving an inheritance! An inheritance lived in honoring my Savior with my life.  Paul ends this section with " So now you are not a slave, you are God's child, and God will give you the blessing he promised because you are his child."

Let that sink in. I focused in on a few words. Child. Blessing. Promised.
I looked up "promised" in the dictionary; here is what it says:

1. To commit oneself by a promise to do or give; pledge: left but promised to return.

2. To afford a basis for expecting: thunderclouds that promise rain. 

3. To make a declaration assuring that something will or will not be done.

4. To afford a basis for expectation: an enterprise that promises well.

 

I'd love to know, which definition seems to resonate more with you today? 

I like each of them for different reasons. 2 and 4 because it talks about expectation. In the time expectation we rest inside the "not yet". The fuzziness between the destination and our original point of origin. 3, which says "a declaration assuring that something will or will not be done"; and here is where my confession lies. This one is hard for me to swallow about promise. 

 

I am a fan of resolution. I don't watch movies like "Inception" because I know I will be up at night thinking of how to resolve it.  I like my stories tied up neatly with a bow and , preferably, a happy ending. However, in the "not yet" I am left waiting. Waiting and not being able to determine my ending. And yet, I can be content in that because in the fuzziness of "not yet" because in my heart I know I am God's child. Psalm 16:6 says" The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a beautiful inheritance". God has promised me, his child, a beautiful inheritance. One that I cannot inherit just yet, but I am to be obedient to the Father until that time. In that I am content, in that moment the "not yet" doesn't seem as frustrating. 

The Old Testament talks about the promise of an inheritance. If you have a chance, Go to biblegateway.com and type in inheritance and see the different verses where it is mentioned in the Old Testament it was definitely a topic I will be reflecting more on in the new year.