Going For A Ride

It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted an entry. Let's just say I've been a bit preoccupied, but I'll gladly be preoccupied with this blessing that God has brought into my life. Let me not get any more ooey gooey than I've already been. Let me just share some pics from one of our outings from a couple of weeks ago. Cy has a couple of cousins (who we both met for the very first time) who were passing through town, and we had an opportunity to show them one of Vallejo's best (and only?) attractions - Discovery Kingdom (formerly known as Marine World).

cousins Alex and Hector from Washington

Relaxing at the Dolphin Show

It's been a while since I've been on a roller coaster. I guess it was a lot easier in my younger days, because even after the first one, I was a bit woozy. I'm thankful for the long break between coasters. (Thank goodness for the Dolphin Show.) We weren't there that long (four hours maybe?), but we walked through most of the park and got through the rides that we wanted to. (Well... the three coasters that we went on were enough for the day.) Going on a weekday was a huge plus, because the lines were next to nothing.

Anyway, it was a fun little trip to one of our hometown draws. I think I've had my fill of roller coasters... at least for now.

Due Time

Sunday School this past Sunday was taught by Ron E, and his topic for the morning was "Waiting On The Lord." Funny, I got to Sunday School a little early and Cy was there with me and Ron sees us and has a big grin on his face. How was I to know that his topic for the morning was the very thing that God has been showing me these past couple of weeks (... couple of years in fact)? It also happens to be one of the labels of some of my blog posts.
However, I'm going to reserve the "Waiting On God" label for posts specific to Cy and I, and the things that God is showing us and taking us through. (But of course, I'm only going to share that which is appropriate, light-hearted, and beneficial.) So this post is going to fall under the category of "Sunday School."

Waiting on the Lord - our tendency is to try and take things in our own hands. When things are happening according to our plans or our timelines, we fret and worry and try to make it happen on our own. When we do this, a couple of things can happen: 1) we utterly fail; that happens quite a bit. or 2) we accomplish what we set out to do and we boast in ourselves because we made it happen; glory goes to ourselves and not to God. How selfish!

Ron shared with us Psalm 130:5-6: "I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning." I want to focus on that last part - the watchmen waiting for the morning. This is in reference to a someone who is keeping watch during the night and is protecting from intruders; basically this is someone who is a security guard. As he waits through the night, all is quiet and nothing is going on. Yet, he can't fell asleep or be distracted because his job is to make sure that no one invades. The nights can be long and boring, and he looks forward to when the sun rises and morning comes. He longs for morning to come so he can complete his job and go home. This is the kind of anticipation that we are to have as we wait on the Lord. We're to wait for Him, not in hopelessness, but in eager anticipation. Each day the sun is guaranteed to rise. Even if the night is long - seemingly endless - the promise of the sun rising is a given. We're to wait on the Lord in a manner like this - and not only in a manner like this, but in a manner more than this. "More than the watchmen for the morning," we are to wait on the Lord. Waiting on the Lord is more reliable even than the rising of the sun!

And the "waiting" part of this isn't just a waiting and sitting back and being idle. It involves praying, seeking after God, digging into His word, meditating, and relying on Him. And our God is good; He answers and provides in due time. (Psalm 145:14-16)

One question to ask ourselves: Can I wait and seek the Lord? And to quote one last thing that Ron mentioned (which was something that was shared to him): "Waiting will not stop what God is going to give to you." If God has something in store for you, you will receive it. If it means that have you wait a little bit, that's ok; it may take some time, but it will be given to you. Praise God if we have to wait to receive it. And praise God also if He decides to give it to us right away. Either way, praise God.

Ok, I can't help but mention how God has been working in the lives of Cy and I. I've mentioned in another post how God has allowed us to wait on Him and to wait for His leading as He has directed us into this new relationship. He caused us to really seek after Him and to ask of Him and to rely on Him. We could have easily not waited on Him, jumped into it on our own, and tried to make our way through it, but He caused us to wait and has showed us more of Himself and continues to show us more of Himself. And the waiting still continues. As we progress in our relationship, we are even more on our knees, praying for His direction, His timing, and His will.

Wherever we're at in life, God puts in a position of trusting in Him, waiting for Him. Our God provides - whether it's quickly or whether it takes some time. God's timing is perfect. He's never late nor is He ever early. He provides in due time.

How The Story Goes

Ok, if the picture didn't paint a thousand words, then let me just tell you how the story goes. I'm gonna keep this short, because most of you already know how most of it has gone. I'm pretty transparent, so you could see this coming. The interest between Cy and I has been apparent for quite some time now, so it was all a matter of timing - God's timing. So after much waiting, praying, seeking counsel, and growing, God has pushed us forward to this next step in our relationship. Continue to keep us in your prayers and pray that God would be magnified, glorified, and reflected in our relationship with one another.

So, how did it all come about? Again, after much counsel and much wisdom especially from our disciplers, like I said, God pushed us forward. I didn't really have anything formal planned. We kind of just played it by ear. A few days earlier, I mentioned to Cy that I hadn't seen Dark Knight (Batman) yet, and neither did she. (Thanks a lot, guys, to those of you who didn't invite us to see it; some friends you are... JUST KIDDING. It's absolutely God's providence.) Anyway, she gets back to me and asks if I'm still going to see it. I told her yes, invited her to go, and she accepted. It's pretty obvious at this point where this is going, because whenever we go out, it's always in a group setting; in this instance, it was just us. So we're on the way to the theater in Vacaville and we planned on stopping at Fenton's for some ice cream beforehand. BTW, the "picture" is from Fenton's, and this is before we even "talked." So we enjoyed our ice cream and then went over to the theater to watch the Dark Knight.

I was joking around with a brother and we were saying that if you thought Dark Knight was the summer blockbuster and the ending was incredible, this ending is even better. I have to say that it was probably the most picture perfect night weather-wise. It was probably midnight and it was warm outside and there was no wind. What a night!

When we were done with the movie, we decided to go out and eat a little because I hadn't had dinner yet. Even though it was pretty late and I would've been content with my ice cream dinner (yes, I've had plenty of those), we decided to go to BJ's, and I was glad to do so. It was at this point where we talked and discussed where we wanted our relationship to go.

Ok, ok... I wasn't super smooth or anything like that. I did have a bit of the nerves trying to say the right words and finding the right time, but it wasn't difficult because it was previous obvious where we both wanted to go. God has allowed us to patiently wait, He's brought us to this point, and He will continue to lead and direct us. If you noticed how I labelled this line of posts, it's "Waiting On God." That's where we've been, and that's where we will continue to be.

Thanks to those who have prayed for us, and again we covet your prayers as we continue to grow and wait on God.

A Thousand Words