The Uplifting Word

Waiting is the hard part. Waiting for results from a medical test. Waiting to learn about the job offer. Waiting your turn to board the airplane or be seated in the restaurant. Waiting for just the right time to talk about a difficult subject. Waiting for the bell to ring, for the storm to pass, or for the fish to bite. Waiting for Christmas Day. Waiting for your ship to come in.

Some people assume that only Eastern religious gurus and yoga practitioners care about the relationship between body, soul, and spirit, when in fact the Bible clearly highlights both the importance and the interdependence of each part.

The biggest critics of Jesus were the Pharisees He considered to be hypocrites. They placed a heavy burden upon their followers through man-made rules that they themselves failed to keep. They tried to produce righteousness from the outside in, paying more attention to appearances than underlying realities. They demanded righteousness from others, but did not exemplify it in their personal lives.

The word translated “meditate” in this verse is “logizomai” in the original language, and was used to describe mathematical calculations in the marketplace. The same term can be translated “reckon” or “estimate” or “calculate” or “compute” or “take into account.”

Most households use electronic devices like televisions, computers, smartphones, gaming systems, and other gadgets. Sadly, they have all been known to go on the blink. Most of us have learned the first step in fixing them is to turn them off and then turn them on again.

Six years ago, my family and I visited the observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York City, the setting where Tom Hanks met Meg Ryan in the film Sleepless in Seattle. Meg was nowhere to be found, but the rest of the world did show up that summer evening. Those long lines meant a wait that eventually paid off with a spectacular view allowing us to see thirty miles in every direction. The cars looked like ants and the people like dots.