Wait in Silence
by Sharon W. Betters
Today’s Treasure
Growing up is hard, especially when you tend toward emotions that quickly spiral out of control. Wise parents recognize that the babies in their home are just that, babies, toddlers are toddlers, middle schoolers are middle schoolers and teens are teens. So why do we expect grown up behavior from those young children, behavior that many adults do not practice? Recognizing that growing up takes time and teaching encourages parents to mature in their own patience.
One of the priorities in our family is to set a precedent so that our grandchildren connect in such a way that they are genuine friends. As often as possible (meaning, when we have enough energy), we invite eight of them to come over for a cousins sleep over. We started having all eight of the littles and the middles for overnights when they were all potty trained. Now the youngest is nine years old, that is a lot of sleepovers. I love that the middles, who are fifteen and sixteen, still ask for and look forward to these sleepovers.
As you can imagine, different personalities sometimes create chaos and conflicts giving us our share of mediating. One of the hardest lessons to teach them is to listen. When they are passionate about their cause, they find it so hard to be quiet and really hear what the other person is saying. Some of them could be lawyers one day, ready to take their cases to the Supreme Court!
Chuck and I know that we are getting through to a grandchild in the heat of a conflict when the look in the child’s eyes changes. The older they get, the quicker they arrive at that point. Through past experiences they are learning to trust Grammy and Granddad to be fair. Some of them struggle more than the others because that’s their personality, but we see progress as they mature.
Oh my, do I get the struggle! It’s HARD to learn to wait and listen, especially when we are confident we are the offended party. I will never forget my younger brother shouting at me when we were teenagers, “You always have to have the last word! You just won’t stop talking. You don’t listen!” Though I still didn’t back down in that argument, his words rang with truth and came back to haunt me when I heard the same declaration from my young husband. Waiting and listening is still a process for me.
In The Only Psalm, David is past talking. Numerous Psalms include lamenting, wailing, and pleading with God to answer the question why, but in this Psalm, David orders his soul to wait in silence for God to satisfy his hope. Years of experiencing God’s gracious love, forgiveness, and faithfulness drives King David’s choice to wait in silence for God to reveal His purposes in this battle with Absalom. He waits in silence for the Lord to direct his steps.
Have you bought in to that saying, “God plus me equals a majority”? Perhaps your mind cringes at such a thought, but is it time to check your heart? I picture David smiling sadly and saying, “Sharon, God plus nothing equals everything. Trust in God alone.” Over the next few days we’ll take a look at why David came to the conclusion that he could safely wait on God alone.
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PRAYER
Oh Lord, show us what it looks like for our soul to wait on You alone.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
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