The Ice Cream Cafe

Waiting Well

Waiting can be hard.

Most of us would prefer quick, efficient, and, when possible, instant results and answers.

But waiting is a part of life.

We must wait for seeds to grow into food, for one season to fade into the next, for babies to mature into adults, and for trees to stand tall enough to finally offer shade.

Like it or not, waiting takes patience.

We can wait days, months, years, or even decades for a prayer to be answered, for an overdue apology, for the timing to be right, or for a dream to finally come to pass.

Waiting requires courage.

King David lived nearly 3,000 years ago, but he knew what it meant to wait for God’s timing, to wait to be king, to wait to be rescued from his enemies. He wrote:

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If David thought waiting on God was important enough to write it twice in one verse, we should probably pay attention.

But waiting patiently for the Lord isn’t an excuse to do nothing.

We can proactively wait on God by staying in communication with Him, by looking for His fingerprints in ordinary moments, by reading about His story and His plans in His Word, by worshiping Him no matter what’s happening across the globe, by serving the people both inside and outside of our circles, and by thanking Him for the gifts He’s already given us.

Just because a specific door isn’t opening, or a particular opportunity isn’t available at this moment doesn’t mean that God isn’t moving.

Even when we are waiting—God is working.

Noah spent decades building an ark as he waited for God to do what He’d said. Ruth journeyed with her mother-in-law and worked in the grain fields while trusting in God’s provision after her husband’s death. Joseph stayed faithful in prison for several years before his promotion to second-in-command of Egypt. John trusted God’s ultimate will for his life, and wrote several books of the New Testament while sentenced to exile on the island of Patmos.

So, no matter what you’re facing, you can ask God for patience and trust that He is in control of your future. No matter what uncertainty lies before you, when you rely on the Lord, you can be someone who waits well

Good Grief

Can anything good come from grief? From mourning a deep loss? From weeping over a profoundly heavy heartache?

While grief is a necessary part of life, no one longs to grieve. But in the second beatitude—a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom—Jesus said this:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

No one can appreciate rain more than someone who’s lived in the desert. No one can value food more than someone who’s truly been starving. And no one can know God as their Comforter like someone who’s desperately needed comfort.

Death, decay, and disappointment are a part of this world. But even in our sorrow and suffering, God stands ready to comfort us—in unique and meaningful ways that only He can.

The Holy Spirit is often called the “Comforter,” as well as “Helper,” “Counselor,” and “Advocate.” This is who He is. Even in our grief, He’s the God who meets us right where we are.

And so, how does God comfort us? He does this through His Spirit, through His Word, and by working in and through His people.

Do you have the eyes to see how He’s pursuing you? Have you opened your heart to His comfort?

If you are a follower of Christ who is mourning today remember: Jesus Himself promised that you will be comforted. He’s always good, He’s always faithful, and He’s right here, ready to help.

Learning to Live Humbly

Have you ever met an angry Christian?

You may have come across Christians who love to grumble, complain, or even speak harshly about other people. Maybe you’ve even been that person at times in your own life.

If we're not careful, we can easily become self-righteous within Christianity. After all, we know the truth and others may not. You might see how tempting it can be to look down upon other people, demean them, or consider them as worse off than ourselves.

But this misses the point of the gospel of Jesus.

The gospel tell us that all of us begin at the same starting point. And it’s only through grace that we come to salvation and learn the truth about God’s love for us.

That doesn’t make us any better than other Christians! In fact, as Paul says in Ephesians 4:2, we should actually be humble and gentle with others, rather than harsh and critical. He says we are to be patient with one another, helping one another in every way that we can so that we all grow together.

These ideas aren’t original to Paul. They actually came from how Jesus lived his life. As followers of Jesus, we too should strive to be gentle, humble, and patient with everyone in our life. Regardless of whether they look or think a different way, every person deserves dignity, patience, and love.

Take some time today to think of a few ways that you can grow in patience, humility, and love with others. It could be slowing down long enough for people to know you care, saying something encouraging to someone, or admitting to someone that you’ve made a mistake.

What will you do today to show humility and grace to others?

Proximity Matters

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It makes sense, doesn't it? If you surround yourself with people making terrible decisions, it won’t be long before you start acting like them. Or you might be blamed for another's poor decisions simply by association. You will inevitably “suffer harm.”

We always want to love those who are far from God, but there’s a difference between loving someone and joining them. Instead, if you walk with the wise—watching, asking, learning, mimicking—you will also become wise in the process.

So what kind of person do you want to be? And who in your life would you call wise? Maybe it’s a parent, grandparent, pastor, or teacher. Maybe it’s your neighbor, coach, or someone else you admire for all the right reasons.

Whether it’s intentional or not, we are all being discipled by someone. So if you want to walk with the wise, proximity matters.

Meet them for coffee or lunch. Join them on a walk. Invite them into your home. Learn from their experiences. Read the Bible with them. Ask them questions.

Like Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise knowledge and insight.”

God is the wisest mentor of all. You can grow wiser this very day by talking to Him, learning from Him by reading Scripture, and spending time with others who long to be more like Him.

A Gift Worth Receiving

After Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for almost four decades, the religious Jews were angry with Him. This may seem strange, because healing is a good thing, but Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath—the day of rest. In the Old Testament, God gave believers a long list of rules to follow in order to stay right with Him, and these rules included honoring the Sabbath.

But in the New Testament, Jesus was sent to change our relationship with the Father. By sacrificing Himself on the cross, He gave us access to a relationship with God—so that long list of rules was no longer needed. Throughout Jesus' life, He shows people the nature of this new relationship. But because it didn’t line up with what the religious establishment believed, they were angry with Him.

In John 5, Jesus justifies these changes through revealing His true authority. By calling God His Father, He shared that He was equal to God. This angered the religious Jews, but it gives us a deeper look into the relationship between the Father and Son.

Jesus tells us that the Father and Son are united in love. The Son does not ‘work’ for the Father—instead they work together, and the work Jesus does perfectly reflects the will of His Father.

This relationship reveals that Jesus has authority to give us eternal life with Him.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 5:24 ESV

When we hear God’s Word and believe in Jesus, we have access to a relationship with Him that will last forever. Unlike the Jews in the Old Testament before this new covenant, we don’t have to follow strict laws perfectly to gain salvation.

All we have to do is accept the gift Jesus has given us through His authority. Have you accepted this gift?

Just finished watching this on Netflix

The core message of "Downsizing" is that there are no easy answers or sure things in life. Curveballs are always going to come your way.

in "Downsizing," life as we know it is coming to an end, but Paul makes the choice, ultimately, to try to do good in the world with what time he has left.

Read More: https://www.looper.com/1442665/downsizing-ending-explained-matt-damon-kristen-wiig/

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