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By Elizabeth Prata
"...Yet". At my school we have a saying. If a child says "I'm not strong enough to cross the monkey bars," we say "...yet." If a student says "I can't do subtraction with regrouping!" we respond, "...yet." When a kid says "I'm no good at art!" we reply, "...yet."
The yet is to give them hope for the future, that what seems impossible now will become possible tomorrow. It's to give them tacit permission to allow themselves to grow and learn and wait. Space to add knowledge and have it confirmed in practice, that what they find a non-reality now will become a reality in the future.
I was thinking about these things when I read of Sarai's comment to Abram in Genesis 16:2
And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
And as Adam listened to the voice of Eve... and not the voice of the LORD, Abram and Sarai sinned.
Sarai should have said, 'Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children, yet. I can't wait until our promised child arrives!' But no. She did not wait for the yet.
How many times had the LORD promised Abram offspring? In Genesis 12, Genesis 13, repeatedly in all of Genesis 15 in an amazing covenant ceremony. But by the beginning of Genesis 16, Sarai had apparently given up and decided that the LORD had "prevented" her from having children. See her subtle blame-shift there?
Not good. The Lord's word is true.
For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. (Psalm 33:4).
Wait for the 'yet'. If you're going through a trial and you're sure you can't stand it another moment, wait for the yet. If you're having financial hardship, wait for the yet. If you're enduring a terrible medical diagnosis, wait for the yet. If you are frustrated with where the word has gone out from your lips and not come back full, wait for the yet (it will not come back void).
True, some of these issues and hardships and trials will be resolved on the other side of the veil and not on earth, but that is still a yet. You're not healed, yet. You're not strong enough, yet. You're not effective enough, yet. You're not able enough, yet. You don't have children, yet.
It will happen. The Lord promised life abundant and everlasting.
"...Yet". At my school we have a saying. If a child says "I'm not strong enough to cross the monkey bars," we say "...yet." If a student says "I can't do subtraction with regrouping!" we respond, "...yet." When a kid says "I'm no good at art!" we reply, "...yet."
The yet is to give them hope for the future, that what seems impossible now will become possible tomorrow. It's to give them tacit permission to allow themselves to grow and learn and wait. Space to add knowledge and have it confirmed in practice, that what they find a non-reality now will become a reality in the future.
I was thinking about these things when I read of Sarai's comment to Abram in Genesis 16:2
And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
And as Adam listened to the voice of Eve... and not the voice of the LORD, Abram and Sarai sinned.
Sarai should have said, 'Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children, yet. I can't wait until our promised child arrives!' But no. She did not wait for the yet.
How many times had the LORD promised Abram offspring? In Genesis 12, Genesis 13, repeatedly in all of Genesis 15 in an amazing covenant ceremony. But by the beginning of Genesis 16, Sarai had apparently given up and decided that the LORD had "prevented" her from having children. See her subtle blame-shift there?
Not good. The Lord's word is true.
For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. (Psalm 33:4).
Wait for the 'yet'. If you're going through a trial and you're sure you can't stand it another moment, wait for the yet. If you're having financial hardship, wait for the yet. If you're enduring a terrible medical diagnosis, wait for the yet. If you are frustrated with where the word has gone out from your lips and not come back full, wait for the yet (it will not come back void).
True, some of these issues and hardships and trials will be resolved on the other side of the veil and not on earth, but that is still a yet. You're not healed, yet. You're not strong enough, yet. You're not effective enough, yet. You're not able enough, yet. You don't have children, yet.
It will happen. The Lord promised life abundant and everlasting.
This was so timely! Just this morning I was talking to my grown son, who has been saved for just 4 years but who has grown by leaps and bounds, especially lately, and he said to me that my growth was an encouragement to him. I laughed and said he was the one encouraging me, which is embarrassing because as long as I've been saved, I should be pretty close to perfect by now. That got a good laugh out of him. :) I do get frustrated with myself for not being where I think I should be by now, so thanks for the encouragement to keep waiting for the yet.
ReplyDeleteGreat encouragement, Elizabeth. Thank you!
ReplyDelete