Hope

...waiting... hoping... yearning...

I'm not very good at being patient.... unless the future is guaranteed!  Are you like that??
I can be patient to a point... like waiting for Friday... or waiting for Christmas...  Something that is Guaranteed to happen!  *yes, over-analyzers... I know it's not 'technically' guaranteed!

BUT I don't do so well if there is a "maybe" in there...  

I guess this is why I was SO very encouraged by my study in 2 Thessalonians.  
They were commended by Paul to have GREAT Love and Faith despite very discouraging persecution in his first letter to them.  They were really "doing it" and doing it VERY WELL!  They were hanging in there... they were being patient... KNOWING that Paul had reassured them that Jesus was COMING BACK to get them... and they would have an "end" to this torment!

Well...  they got some bad information... (for me... insert "Doubt" or "Discouraging News")... 
Someone had told them that Jesus had ALREADY come... and so their HOPE in the future was BASHED....  poor souls.....  here they were PATIENTLY ENDURING massive persecution in a time of great turmoil... and someone cut in on them and cut off their GREATEST JOY and HOPE!  It is believed they received a false letter with BAD information and signed by (supposedly) Paul.

I can imagine Paul coming OUT OF HIS SKIN when he heard this... the very group of people that were really ROCKING it for Jesus... just had the LIFE kicked out of them...  I can see him almost SCREAMING "NO!"  I can see him grab up that paper and start writing like crazy... not sleeping... not eating... not even hardly breathing until he could straighten out the mess.  

In Chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians, Paul writes v2 "don't become easily unsettled or alarmed" by bad news!!  HOLD to the TRUTH that I told you....  and v15 "stand firm and hold to our teachings" and then v16's beautiful benediction "May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His Grace gave us Eternal Encouragement and Good Hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."

BUT... he doesn't end there....  he also says "STAY BUSY!"  Keep on Keeping on!

I think that is when I have the most trouble with waiting... when I'm not busy... 
When I'm busy with paperwork or projects to get ready for something... I'm good!  It's the STILLNESS of waiting that is so hard.  I don't think Paul would put this section in here if they weren't having some of the same problems!  If it wasn't for THEM being idle... but maybe others around them...  You all know what it's like to be working in an office environment with others who AREN'T BUSY ENOUGH...  (I'll just leave that alone...)  

But in my life... be it our adoptions, pregnancy, moving, ministry... etc...  I don't do well when I'm STILL!

SO... for today... to encourage my heart and to renew my HOPE for what has been Promised...  I SHALL PACK... or clean or organize... for 'tomorrow' we are going to BRAZIL!!!!!