Father, I do not know them as do you.  Why should I love them so, reaching out to them daily in an effort to prepare, encourage and provide? I can imagine how you feel Father, when they apparently do not respond. It seems I must adjust my expectations, for it is not the feedback or evidence I seek but rather the opportunity to invest. Investment in Kingdom perspective carries a bit different connotation than in worldly terms. Sow the seed and God will bring the increase is the ideal to which I must align my thinking. That I may not see the growth, especially if a seed was planted years ago, and I have no opportunity to see the person for a long time.  How do I know that the seed did not take? I don’t.  Please forgive me for again putting this within my schedule for performance, within my associative efforts, for none of this is truth.

Stay in your lane dude. Is my current repeated mantra, when meditating upon your Gospel. I am a man with clear strengths and also the temptation to make this a bit more about myself than it ought be, which is none, so it’s easy to blow it way out of proportion with minute adjustment.  Look, I don’t know you, but He does. I don’t have any idea of where your heart is, having not had the time to know you very well, but He knows everything about you, including that stuff you don’t want Him to know or the stuff you haven’t yet figured out. So, being His disciple, I must approach this opportunity with a reflection built upon an understanding outside my own perspective.

This ain’t easy, it’s down right obtuse.  But that is the amazing thing and also the greatest irony in Christianity, we have to let go to hang on tight.  Sounds counter-intuitive because it is the most counter-intuitive discipline in the life time.  We must lose ourselves to find ourselves. Rid ourselves of the trappings of this life to gain our real life.  Surrender to be freed, transformed and sanctified of unrighteousness. Give up to be set free. Carry my burdens daily to be free of them. Give away my cares and worries and the control over the circumstances of my life to gain any control over them and lose my way to find it.  Down right frustrating from a manly perspective.  Absolutely the opposite behavior and direction given every man who would achieve the goals a man is supposed to achieve to be a good historical man in this lifetime.

It is so simple it hurts to watch how hard every one of you is trying to make it work. He loves you and will change what needs to be changed, just stay close and be obedient to the direction of His Holy Spirit. That freaks some people out, for they believe that they do not have the waiting gene, and perhaps they are right.  However, we all have the same indwelling Spirit of the Lord and that Spirit has “Patience” as one of His Characteristics. What does that mean?  Come on Ebenezer.  You know what it means, that you have patience you just haven’t gotten out of the Spirit’s way to allow it to blossom in your life. Remember the irony, get out of the way of the Spirit to find your way.  This is not really that hard, it is completely impossible. I mean crazy stuff like loving your enemies. Ain’t happenin.  You’re right, without the Holy Spirit’s presence it would never happen, but again are you getting out of His Way?

I love you. I will not get frustrated with you because the Holy Spirit has more than enough patience for both of us. It is not my job to qualify your performance or determine the outcome of your relationship and walk with Christ Jesus. It is my job to plant the seeds of the Gospel, encourage you in your faith, sharpen you when the opportunity is appropriate and anointed by Spirit, then get out of His way and let you two walk that path together.  My eyes and expectations are not your gradient or measuring stick. God is faithful and true to complete the work He once began in each of us. Sure doesn’t say that He is going to depend on me to complete anything. He does everything, I simply love. So, I love you and pray for your acceptance, continuance and growth in the Lord Jesus Christ.