The waiting game

We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Pages:
1
2
…
5

The waiting game; at a standstill
Topic Started: Aug 16 2008, 09:41 AM (2,117 Views)
Sarah	Aug 16 2008, 09:41 AM Post #1
Advanced Member Posts: 119 Group: Members Member #4,868 Joined: August 13, 2008	Is any one else struggling to think about the future? I feel like our time here in this cruel world is drawing to a close and I struggle to identifing with future life events. Everyday I wake up to find something else happening in the world that brings us closer to Christ's return and this is good (minus all the suffering) but it keeps me from planning my life. I feel like someone hit the pause button on me. Anyone else feel the same?



w8n4him	Aug 16 2008, 09:52 AM Post #2
Advanced Member Posts: 437 Group: Members Member #1,473 Joined: July 6, 2007	Sarah Aug 16 2008, 09:41 AM Is any one else struggling to think about the future? I feel like our time here in this cruel world is drawing to a close and I struggle to identifing with future life events. Everyday I wake up to find something else happening in the world that brings us closer to Christ's return and this is good (minus all the suffering) but it keeps me from planning my life. I feel like someone hit the pause button on me. Anyone else feel the same? lol! yes........my pause button has been on for a few years now.......I struggled with it to at first. Just keep in mind that the Lord wants us to live each moment He has given us fully and completely. Live each day as though its your last ... and while I don't believe I will be here for my retirement, I'm still taking each day one at a time and living towards my retirement anyway, if that makes any sense. I think Pamelot feels like we do too..........



Sarah	Aug 16 2008, 09:58 AM Post #3
Advanced Member Posts: 119 Group: Members Member #4,868 Joined: August 13, 2008	I'm glad to know I am not the only one.



Pamelot	Aug 16 2008, 12:48 PM Post #4
Member Posts: 41 Group: Members Member #4,769 Joined: July 8, 2008	Yes, w8n4him is right. My husband and I both feel it and we just found out that our daughter (24) does, too. It's as if "nothing here matters" and we're waiting for "something." (I try hard to not presume what the "something" is, to avoid disappointment. Been there, done that. I DO feel that whatever it is will be very, very good!) A couple of days ago, I was steaming four layers of old wallpaper from the entry hall, fully aware that it was just "busywork" and didn't matter. It makes it hard to get motivated to keep working on our house (43 years old and in dire need of some TLC) or to do much of anything except basic necessities. The lesson we're learning from it is living "one day at a time" and being "in the moment" instead of living our lives way off in the future or in the regrets of the past and missing today. (We used to do that a LOT!) Every morning, I wake up expectantly, wondering what will be different today, is today "it," and can't wait to find out what "it" is!
	A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. ~ Psalms 91: 7 & 8


justme	Aug 16 2008, 01:04 PM Post #5
Advanced Member Posts: 342 Group: Members Member #2,410 Joined: December 17, 2007	Been feeling the same way for some time. The 'pause button' is a good one and I never thought of it that way. Glad I am not the only one.



dinosaur	Aug 16 2008, 02:04 PM Post #6
Advanced Member Posts: 666 Group: Members Member #93 Joined: January 3, 2006	justme Aug 16 2008, 01:04 PM The 'pause button' is a good one and I never thought of it that way. Always be aware who is pushing your buttons and why certain buttons are pushed more than others.



Israeli	Aug 16 2008, 02:18 PM Post #7
Advanced Member Posts: 719 Group: Members Member #1,064 Joined: April 29, 2007	I cannot stand another pointless day here. Even sharing the good news with people? They don't want it. Its like its too dark to labor.



Rahab	Aug 16 2008, 02:46 PM Post #8
Advanced Member Posts: 142 Group: Members Member #1,728 Joined: August 30, 2007	Do not become discouraged Israeli. Keep right on planting seeds. That is what the Lord wants you to do. You may not see the results immediately but when God reaps His harvest you will be blessed.



lionschild	Aug 16 2008, 03:50 PM Post #9
Advanced Member Posts: 404 Group: Members Member #2,333 Joined: December 11, 2007	Include me in this also. Ive been feeling this way for a while and ive kinda learned only to make choices for the future that will be valuable if that future does indeed happen. We are told to occupy but that this world is not our home. I love the sense of expectancy each day but ocassionally get weary of the wait. Its like being due to go into labor only instead of a two week window its much bigger.
	The King has need of thee!


autoimmune	Aug 16 2008, 04:54 PM Post #10
Advanced Member Posts: 155 Group: Members Member #4,846 Joined: August 9, 2008	Some womanly thoughts on labor . . . It's been 36 years since my first labor experience and I remember wondering "what will it feel like? how will I know if and when it's time?" When you've never been through labor before you have no idea of the "reality" of it, other than what others tell you and what you read about it. My husband had been drafted (Viet Nam era) and his parents were excited and promised to be there when the time came. After weeks of asking how I was, was there any pain etc etc, I felt like many here. I just wanted it to "happen." I was so tired of everyone else's anxious exprectations centered on something I had no physical control over. One night, I felt really strong pains and so they took me to the hospital. Turns out it was Braxton Hicks contractions . . . part of the process, but not "the real thing" yet. My in-laws seemed angry with me for having gotten them all excited or something. They would say things like "Next time be sure before you drag us out of bed." I know now it was their own disappointment speaking so flippantly and sarcastically to me and I later forgave them for it, but at the time, I felt alone and vulnerable and hurt. When the time came a few nights later, I KNEW it was the real thing. No mistaking the difference between what happened before and the definite labor contractions I was now having. Still, what if I was wrong? Since this was my first time having a baby I didn't REALLY know what to expect, except that it would be painful. So I called my best friend instead . . . just in case I was wrong, I didn't want to wake my in-laws up for another early morning visit to the hospital -- and more ridicule later if I was wrong again. My in-laws were angry when they got the call from Terri that the baby was about to be born, but it was in part their own fault. Their unloving response to me on the night of the "false labor" made me afraid to include them on the night of true labor. And, because of that, they missed being part of the birth of their first grandchild in the way they had hoped. Yes, they were present, but not as "an integral part" of the birth of the child. I get the feeling many Christians waiting for prophetic words saying "now is the time" are like my in-laws . . . who wanted to take part in the big event, but for their own selfish reasons and what the event meant to them--rather than in terms of helping me and being there for me in place of their son. They became angry when what they expected did not happen the first time. They held me personally responsible somehow for not recognizing the difference between a Braxton Hicks contraction and a 2nd or 3rd stage labor pain. But I had never experienced either before, so how could I have known? Alll I could do as a young woman was LEARN the difference from the experience. What I found out later was that Braxton Hicks contractions ARE part of the process and are very necessary because they prepare the woman's body for the labor stages to come. Christians want someone to tell them exactly WHAT will hapen, WHEN it will happen, HOW to recognize what is happening. But we can only go through the process with Love in mind, accepting whatever comes, when it comes, as it comes, being there for each other as we go through the process together. When the "real thing" is about to take place, we will know it, just as I knew it when the first true labor pain hit me. My next pregnancies, I knew what to expect and could tell the difference between a Braxton Hick contraction and a 2nd, 3rd stage labor pain. In terms of the Christian life, maybe it would help to go over the differences and draw some parallels? 1. B-H contractions are often irregular and do not get closer together. True labor pains can be timed, get stronger, and closer together as time goes on. What are we seeing in the world now? 2. B-H contractions change with movement, when you walk or rest, or may even stop if you change positions. Labor pains continue through movement and position changes. Can Christians compare movement or change of position, resting or walking with preaching, teaching, prayer, "doing" Christian things? Does it make a difference anymore? Are we constantly aware of the "pain" or can it be stopped by getting involved in something else? 3. B-H contractions get weaker over time, while labor contractions increasingly grow stronger. Are the "sign" getting weaker or stronger? More intense or less? 4. Finally, where is the pain located? B-H contractions are usually only felt in the front of the abdomen or pelvic region. Labor pains usually start in the lower back and move to the front of the abdomen, very often also including the thighs and hips. Are the things Christians experiencing in the world simply a few localized things that catch their attention, a few circumstances that involve only a small part of the Body . . . or are they becoming worldwide, more and more involving the entire Body of Christ? Anyway, those are my thoughts reading this thread; perhaps the women in the Body of Christ can help others at this time by remembering what it was like for us as we anticipated our first labor, yet did not really understand what would happen--until it DID happen. And then there was no doubt when we said, "Whoa, this is it!" Until then, let us be loving and helpful to each other as we travel through this process together. Mary Ellen



SpiritIsWilling	Aug 16 2008, 05:16 PM Post #11
Advanced Member Posts: 479 Group: Members Member #3,594 Joined: March 22, 2008	Good analogy Mary Ellen! BTW, I can totally relate
	Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?


justme	Aug 16 2008, 06:12 PM Post #12
Advanced Member Posts: 342 Group: Members Member #2,410 Joined: December 17, 2007	Wow Mary Ellen, even though I am not a woman I remember when my wife had our first child almost 23 years ago. She had several false labors just as the church has been having. We know that something great is going to be soon birthed within the body. We just are tired of waiting. I noticed some here have grown tired of all these prophecies. And some have even left the forum because they could not take another false start. It saddens me to see them leave because they grow weary of it. And as some have put it, tired of being afraid. Not sure why it makes them afraid if they are walking close with Jesus. True the world will suffer much, but we are to be lights shining in the darkness. Even willing to lend a hand and pointing to them the way. So if anyone reading this are one of those who left but came back to lurk, I would like to use the words of a song Gerald Crabb sings. The words are....just hold on, our Lord will show up, and he will take you through the fire again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmmvHm_7cDI&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g04jHsvwEq4



autoimmune	Aug 16 2008, 06:26 PM Post #13
Advanced Member Posts: 155 Group: Members Member #4,846 Joined: August 9, 2008	SpiritIsWilling Aug 16 2008, 05:16 PM Good analogy Mary Ellen! BTW, I can totally relate I love the preggie smile, SpiritIsWilling! They have one for everything it seems. I think the Body of Christ is feeling very pregnant, like we've gone through the 3 trimesters, know the baby is ready to be birthed, but we're unsure what to expect and how to know exactly when labor begins. I remember many women who had been through delivery telling me at the time, "Don't worry, you'll KNOW when it happens." We Christians should remember that. When it happens, we will know without a doubt. No checking on the internet "Is this it? Is that it?" The reality will be upon us and we will know without a doubt where we stand before God. I believe that 25 years ago God granted me a momentary experience of the two results of the choice Final Call has been speaking about. The experience itself was in 2 parts over 2 days, with 2 different experiences of God's Love and the way we may experience it depending on our response to Him. My hope and prayer has always been to "be" alive in Christ like that again (part "A" of the experience), and also to be protected from having to experience God's Love without His Spirit alive in me as I did the second day. To be honest, I believe that hope is the reason I followed Final Call's words so closely. I truly wanted it to be that moment. Even if I am thrown to my knees in burning shame because I am not fully in Christ through His Love for the Father and others; at least I would know where I stand. What God has been reconfirming in me over the last few days is that the reality of what I experienced is true according to my faith (or lack of it) in Him and His promises: my true identity is hidden in Him . . . it is no longer I, but Christ, alive in me . . . whether the veil is there or not. Live as if the veil has been withdrawn permanently. Mary Ellen



dinosaur	Aug 16 2008, 06:27 PM Post #14
Advanced Member Posts: 666 Group: Members Member #93 Joined: January 3, 2006	We're the 7SevenBabies7, want to dance in Heaven, singing praises to the King, for every good thing.



autoimmune	Aug 16 2008, 06:41 PM Post #15
Advanced Member Posts: 155 Group: Members Member #4,846 Joined: August 9, 2008	Hi, JustMe. yes, I intended that meaning when I made the comparison. If we are one WITH Christ through our love for each other IN Christ, then Love casts out the fear. We can listen to what each other has to offer and then weigh it against both Truth and Love. Sometimes, the person speaking through the Spirit may have the Truth. Everything they say may be confirmed someplace within the scriptures. Yet, if it lacks Love --either for the Father or others in the Body--then it is not to be trusted. Sometimes, the person speaking may speak very lovingly, but be totally off base according to scripture. Again, the words of that person are not to be trusted. What I look for are words that have both, Truth AND Love. To be honest, I had my doubts about Final Call at times, mostly because it was so evident sometimes that he lacked love for others in the Body in his replies. Yet, every time, he humbly knelt before God and learned from the encounter. I know consider that God allowed Final Call's human flaws to show so evidently before so that we could weigh the actual words of his "Final Call Message" against God's Love. I didn't see Final Call's human efforts at love in his last post. I see God's Love showing through, especially in the part when FC said that love is not an emotion, it is an act of the will. His is one of the few messages I've seen on the net that might truly be from God, imo. And it IS an opinion, nothing more. I heard God speak to me through FC's message, both truth and love. Like a Braxton Hicks contraction, it doesn't tell us the exact time, but it lets us know the process is still going on, the Body is being prepared for the serious stages of labor to come. Mary Ellen



S.L.Boer	Aug 16 2008, 07:23 PM Post #16
Newbie Posts: 4 Group: Members Member #4,742 Joined: June 13, 2008	I've been feeling the same way as well for a while now. I keep watching the things that are going on in the world and believe that Our Lord is coming very soon. Sandy B.



lionschild	Aug 16 2008, 07:59 PM Post #17
Advanced Member Posts: 404 Group: Members Member #2,333 Joined: December 11, 2007	Great example! Glad someone could explain it so well. There is nothing more exciting and more frustrating than waiting for the birth of a new baby. My daughter went to her doc on the day she was to be induced and they decided not to. We were devestated to say the least. I try not to allow myself to count on any of these spacific propheci's. I have learned lately to find joy in just walking each day with Jesus. I really hate it when I see people get devestated and leave the site or waver in their faith. We all lose out when someone leaves.
	The King has need of thee!


SpiritIsWilling	Aug 16 2008, 09:20 PM Post #18
Advanced Member Posts: 479 Group: Members Member #3,594 Joined: March 22, 2008	dinosaur Aug 16 2008, 06:27 PM We're the 7SevenBabies7, want to dance in Heaven, singing praises to the King, for every good thing. Good one Dino
	Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?


Shershalom	Aug 16 2008, 09:30 PM Post #19
Advanced Member Posts: 584 Group: Members Member #810 Joined: March 20, 2007	Would it be appropriate to say "PUSH !!!" just about this time???
	SherShalom "Blessed is HE that comes in the NAME of the LORD." MATTHEW 23:39


Sarah	Aug 16 2008, 10:15 PM Post #20
Advanced Member Posts: 119 Group: Members Member #4,868 Joined: August 13, 2008	I say bring on the pitocin!



1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)


Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Endtime Chat · Next Topic »

Pages:
1
2
…
5