One of my dearest friends checked in with me the other day to see how I was doing. She lives in another state and we don’t get to see each other often nor catch up with one another like we use to, but a text or email from time to time allows us to reconnect. She’s a single woman with no children and lives a full life, she seems to take life in stride but is hoping and praying that one day soon, her path will cross with the man God has ordained for her to build a life with. She’s trusting in God’s love for her but there are those days when the feelings of loneliness seep through the cracks. A while ago this was very challenging, but as she’s grown in Christ, she’s learned to say, “I’ll take one day at a time and let God handle the rest.”
Colossians 2:6-7(NLT) tells us, “6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” There’s a saying in the South that you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. I’m a living testament to that. My roots are southern, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. No matter where I go or how far I travel, my accent and manner of embracing life is distinctive. It’s all based on the place where my history is rooted. In Colossians 2:6-7, God informs us that He requires a deeper root in us, and it’s not based on something as trivial as where we’re born, our accents, or customs and traditions. It’s based on the Lord Jesus Christ and how much we are living our lives for him.
To be rooted in Christ is to speak like him, think like him and act like him. God tells us in Romans 12:2(NLT), “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to be defined by customs, culture, and traditions. He wants to change us from the inside out through His Holy Spirit. Our transformation in Christ allows us to learn God’s Will for us. It allows us to have confidence in the reality that He dreams a bigger dream than the one we have for ourselves. He has a good plan for our lives, and if we will be patient and wait on Him, we will never be disappointed.
It’s so important to allow ourselves to be rooted and grounded in the love of Jesus Christ because our thoughts, behaviors, and conversations will distinguish who you truly are. If we really trust in Jesus Christ, then we won’t be too hasty or behave out of desperation. We’ll understand that pleasing God is the most important thing we can do in life.
Taking one day at a time, requires patience in God’s perfect timing. Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 6:8 that our Heavenly Father knows what we need even before we ask Him. He’s a perfect and magnificent God, and He loves to reward us for doing what He asks of us. Romans 8:32(NLT) tells us, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” This is how much our Heavenly Father loves us. He didn’t withhold His most holy and precious Son and gave him to die as a sacrifice for our sin. Based on this alone, we should place our total faith in God’s promises, and trust that He is willing and able to bless us.
God deserves our unwavering faith, no matter our conditions. We should not be so focused on what we want from Him. Instead, our focus should be on the transformation in Christ that He wants us to make. The world’s way is to jump right into what looks and feels good, and this will catapult a person into the sinfulness and the traps of instant gratification. This kind of behavior may seem gratifying, it may seem free and fun, but there’s a hefty price for it, and we will not like paying it.
Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Jesus Christ has patience, and God requires that it is rooted in us as well. Many of us have tried to skip this spiritual lesson. Some of us might have thrown a temper tantum or two because we didn’t want to learn it, but God is a loving Father and He’s patiently transforming us from the inside out. He wants us to live in the present, because this moment is all we have, and we should use it to fellowship with Him, talk with Him, and listen to Him. He’s helping us to build the relationship we share together, and this is so extraordinarily gracious and kind. We should be beyond thrilled about it and enjoy taking one day at a time to love our wonderful Heavenly Father, and to become more rooted in Christ with each passing day. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Patience in God’s Perfect Timing”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!