My Daddy was like a turtle, slow and steady. He could work any of the younger men into the ground. I can’t remember Daddy ever saying these exact words, but he truly lived by this sentiment: “Measure twice – cut once.”
For those who didn’t have his patience and were in a hurry to get a job done, he would just about drive them crazy. They would measure and want to go straight to the board and make their cut, but Daddy would always go back and measure again; just to make sure. His method always paid off, but if they didn’t do what he said, it almost always led to the cut being wrong and the board not fitting. This led to a lot of wasted wood. For him, the preparation was the most important part of the job. Without the proper preparation a job could be ruined or cost more to finish.
God doesn’t get in a hurry when he is doing a work in us. He put a vision in Joseph when he was seventeen, but it wasn’t fulfilled until he had been falsely accused of a crime and spent years in prison. He could have gotten bitter and given up, but he kept his faith and he kept a good attitude and God promoted him. God delivered him from the prison and he became second in command to Pharaoh. He was used to save his family; which included the very brothers who had sold him into slavery in the beginning. Jesus was thirty years old when he started his earthly ministry; thirty years of preparation for three years of work. Moses was forty before he received his call to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. His time in Pharaoh’s family and the years in exile as a shepherd prepared him for the task God had given him. During that time he was growing in faith and his dependence on God. After David was anointed King, he spent years running, in fear for his life, before he actually took his place on the throne. God used everything these men went through to make them fit and ready for the work he had called them to do.
Has God given you a vision? Are you becoming discouraged because it hasn’t come to pass? Let me encourage you to **not become weary while you are waiting, for in DUE SEASON you shall reap if you don’t lose heart and give up. *“DUE SEASON is God’s season, not ours. Patience is not the ability to wait; it is the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”
God is just measuring you twice – before he makes his final cut. He is taking his time to make sure you have everything you need to succeed. He is taking everything you have experienced, the good and the bad, to make you a vessel fit for his use. Like my Daddy said, “If you changed one thing in your past, you wouldn’t be the person you are today.” The finished product will be a direct result of the preparation you have gone through.
We need to be thankful everyday for this amazing time of preparation. ***He who began a the good work, will continue working in you, till Jesus comes back for us.
*Quote by Joyce Meyers
Scripture: **Galatians 6:9 & ***Philippians 1:6
Thanks, Beth! This is very encouraging!