Message from Marc Cram, High School Teacher

It’s fun being in a place of waiting and expectation. I feel that God is going to be doing a change in my life and I am waiting to see what that change is. I know that one change is the fact that I want to marry my girlfriend and am taking the steps towards that process, but I am also waiting on the Lord to provide the resources for the proposal and beyond. I know my girlfriend wants to be married now, but I also know the benefit of waiting and having patience.

Patience is a virtue that is lost in today’s culture. With the advent of the internet and technology we want everything now. I’ve been going through the Dave Ramsey financial peace series and he talks about how our great grandparents would never have a loan or credit, it wasn’t heard of. Then our grandparents might have had a house loan and maybe one other loan. Then our parents had a house loan and a car loan and a couple of credit cards. Then our current society has credit cards coming out our ears and so many people in debt beyond what they can pay. Why is this, because we just can’t wait to have stuff, we need it now. I am not immune to this way of thinking either, and it has got me into trouble. Now I am working out of the trouble and don’t plan on returning, but at the same time I am learning how to be patient and wait for the Lord to provide. It is okay to wait 1 year; 2 years; 5 years for something, and then when you get it, it will be so much more precious to you because you had to wait.

There is a story of a couple that made $80,000 per year and when they were newly married they decided to live meagerly on only $30,000 and save $50,000 per year for a house. They lived in a small over the garage apartment, renting for $200 per month and budgeting everything. The wife’s parents belittled them for not getting a home loan and purchasing a house right then, but they were patient. Four years later they had saved $200,000 and decided to buy a house. They bought an $180,000 dollar house for $150,000 because they had the cash in their hand ready to go, and then the husband gave his wife $50,000 and told her to furnish the house. They have a fully paid and furnished house in only four years! How many of us can say we have that? I sure don’t, but this gives me inspiration to be patient because you will be rewarded.

I know the patience that I talked about is mainly financial patience, but I know this applies to all aspects of life. We need to learn how to be patient in this current fast paced world and wait for the Lord to provide. When we are patient I know that he will provide and give us more than what we deserve because he is a good God.