Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14
Before I married my wonderful husband, Aaron, I spent several years as a single mom. During that time, I had to learn how to stand on my own two feet in many ways. I found out that I was better at it than I had ever imagined I would be, which strengthened my will when it came to taking care of myself and my kids.
But there were also those innumerable moments when my strength completely failed, and I was left crying out to God for a helpmate in life. It's always been difficult for me to ask for help, and though I got help from so many amazing people during that time, I still made every effort to do things on my own so I didn't have to “inconvenience” anyone. Pride probably had a lot to do with it if I’m being completely honest.
Then Aaron – a man who refuses to let chivalry die – came into my life. One of the things he insisted on from the very beginning was that he open doors for me. Every door. All the time. This was a bit of a foreign concept to me so it took some getting used to, especially when he wanted to open my car door when we would arrive at a destination. In fact, it took months for me to learn to sit there waiting for him to walk around the car and “let me out” rather than immediately bursting out of the door as soon as the car was in park. There were several times when I’d get out of the car only to see him standing there – arms crossed, toe tapping the pavement and kindly saying, “You forgot again.” As a self-empowered woman, that extra fifteen seconds of waiting almost made my head explode, and I couldn’t understand why he so adamantly insisted on this gesture. However, as the months went on, I came to enjoy those extra few moments, knowing that it was an outward expression of the deep love and respect that he had for me. It also gave me a little extra time to finish up my lipstick or that last sip of coffee.
I’ll admit that on days when I’m in a time crunch or have a lot on my mind, I still forget to wait for him – much to his dismay. Am I perfectly capable of opening my own door? Of course, but in my hustle to get things done I often neglect the chance to receive my husband’s simple gesture of his enormous love for me. When this happened once recently, it made me think about how I often treat God the same way. As soon as I wake up and my feet hit the floor, I want to tackle everything on my list with all the “I-am-woman-hear-me-roar” power I can muster (and my energy usually putters out at some point). All the while, God is standing there – arms crossed, toe tapping the pavement and kindly saying, “You forgot again.” Yes, in my preoccupation with getting things done, I forget that my Heavenly Father wants to strengthen my heart and show me the deep love he has for me. It may take a few extra minutes to sit down and soak up His presence and let Him speak to me through His word. However, those moments infuse every subsequent moment with the assurance that I am dearly loved and that I never have to do life on my own.
Wait on Him to open the door, “....and He shall strengthen thy heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”
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