Guest Devotional - Alexis Albright

Happy new year!

Finishing out the year was a time of reflection for me and a time to begin setting new goals for the year ahead.

One thing I was pondering as the Christmas season was approaching was how my boys each had two items they wanted under the tree on Christmas morning. But more than them just wanting these two items, was that they had been asking for them since June. Almost everyday, they would bring the toys up in conversation and I heard about them so often and with such enthusiasm, that I frequently found myself in restrain mode. I wanted to make their wishes come true right then. I wanted to see their smiles wider than I'd ever seen as their eyes shined with all the possibilities this gift would bring. But if I had done that, the anticipation from the 6 month build-up of dreaming and imagining life with these new toys would have been gone and ultimately Christmas morning would not have been as full. It was rich for my boys and for Blaine and myself too.

This is how our Father operates as well. He loves us so deeply that he wants us to have the desires of our hearts. I imagine it's probably difficult for Him to make us wait for things or not give us what we want. For me, I could reason that the gifts to my boys would be that much better with time. Our Father's decision isn't always as simple as deciding when to give us the "toy" we've been wanting, but his timing is perfect. His answer is just right. I'm so glad I don't have to worry about whether or not I'm going to get what I want. I can take it to him and let Him decide.

So, for this new year, one of my resolutions is to rest in God's timing and in His answers to my requests. Psalm 37:4 says "delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart" and Ephesians 3:20 states, "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."