© 2006 Donna L. Watkins - Female Northern Cardinal
This female Cardinal is waiting for a spot on the birdfeeder. Patience is a hard virtue to learn.Shortly before we moved to Virginia, during a prayer time, I saw a place in my mind and I "heard" the word Heritage. God caught me in a moment of "being" and I took that "vision" and got into "doing."
I have been searching for the Heritage since we came to Virginia. Trying to make happen what I thought was meant to be. I'm such a doer, I have to work at being a be-er. The picture I saw in my mind at that time is nothing like the place I had dreamed of living, tucked away in the middle of some woods. This was a large place on a hill with meadow around it and woods behind.
After a couple of years here, I was at a place called Pleasant Grove, which is an old estate that had been donated to the county. It's has a lot of open land and trails through the woods and a bench that sits on top of a hill looking out over miles and miles of land and views of the distant mountains. There again, in a mode of being, I felt that God gave me more details of this place I've called The Heritage.
My scenario includes a place with land and large home with lots of rooms to be used as a family spiritual retreat. There were organic vegetable plots that guests would have time to participate in growing food. How many children have never seen where food comes from? There was healthy vegetarian cooking being taught in the kitchen. After all, we'll all be eating vegetarian when we get to Heaven. :-)
Then there was something else that makes my Spirit leap: Woodland trails with Scripture signs and benches and me as a guide to show children and adults the wonders of Creation and the character of God that He put into flora and fauna.
Randal has such gifts in the area of counseling. He's been doing support groups and individual counseling for a long time. It comes naturally for him and from the comments I hear from participants, it's what he should be doing.
I've spent many hours thinking about this visionary place in my mind called, The Heritage. The longer I live in this area, the more I've come to appreciate the architecture of this house I "saw" over six years ago. However, the longer it takes, the more impatient I become at times.
And at this point I giggle ... because all of my plans and projects in life have come about by ME making them happen. I know that this is one vision and project that is not going to be about me, my power, my control, or my abilities. I have continued to ask God how I am to make this happen. Over the past year everything has been telling me that I am not going to make it happen, that He is. He has the details and people and place and plans and timing. It will all come together.
Do you try to make things happen!? I'm always right out there ready to go without rein or bridle. One thing that this awful rheumatoid arthritis has done for me is to allow me to slow down and ponder how things will be accomplished. I can no longer "do it all" and that must be some relief to this physical body that I have whipped into the "GO" mode for so long.
Sometimes God has us in a holding pattern. His healing is there for us, but we have to get our mental attitude right about it. If you've flown at all, you know that airplanes can't always land as soon as they get to an airport. There are other planes arriving at the same time and some have to go into a holding pattern until there's a place for them to safely land. Planes carry extra fuel expecting these delays.
I'm sure you've been in these holding places in your life, struggling to have enough faith to carry you through. You'll need extra fuel to stay airborne in these seemingly dry times. That spiritual fuel of faith will carry you through till you get clearance to land .... to see the vision and healing become real.
Imagine Noah who spent all those years building that Ark and talking about the coming rains when the land was totally dry. Did he have doubts? Did he wonder if he'd heard God right? Even when things seem like they've died, God is still thinking about it all and working out the details and timing and preparing YOU to be part of it. I've made a lot of changes in my life in all areas since I was first introduced to what I now know as The Heritage, and I'm sure God has a lot more to accomplish in me. If time seems to be moving slowly, it's because I'm not being very pliable in His hands.
Just keep in mind that His delays are not denials. Keep your dreams alive. Keep that faith tank full. Don't give up on the lost child, or spouse, or family member. Don't give up on the ministry you see in your mind but cannot imagine as a reality. It's not something YOU have to accomplish. God is just showing you what can be if you let Him work through you. You've got the fuel it takes. God didn't make a mistake giving you the vision. You can do this, but in a different way than we normally do things. The more we practice being in His presence, the faster we'll be given clearance to land.
Prayer
Father, help me to be pliable to Your will. Help me to see that being is doing. Spending time with you just listening and learning and meditating on Your Word to hold off the Enemy is what I need to be doing. Your kind of doing is not of this world's standards. Help me to see with spiritual eyes and be the person You are wanting to shape me to be. Use me, Lord, in the lives of my family and in the lives of people that pass by me each day. Let me be an encouragement and focus on being a blessing rather than on being blessed. Amen.
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