Romans 8:22-25 (NIV)
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?
25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Listen to Paul's words as he describes what creation is experiencing while awaiting it's redemption. He is saying it is "groaning" as if it is in labor. We, with the Spirit in us, also groan as we await our adoption. This is the tension that we have to live in. It is the tightrope that we must walk in this life. The temptation is to go off and isolate ourselves in order to moan and groan in private until our Savior arrives. The other option is to join the world in full force and drown out the moaning by all the stuff here. We must not choose either of these options, but rather choose to live here with His light shining through us even though we groan. When I sit down with my unchurched friends or my lost churched friends and get real about the pain of this life and the difficulties I have faced, that does not send them packing, it draws them. Life is not pain free. Life is not without loss. What we need is hope. This hope of which Paul refers to is not hope in hope. The hope we need is rooted and grounded in the truth that we are children of God. God is coming back for us and in this we can have our hope. We have hope right here and now that the life we live for Christ is not going to be tossed out at the end of the game. We have hope of transformation and even the transformation of the society we live in. The two great awakenings brought with them tremendous societal transformation. Perhaps, and this is the kicker, we must wait patiently!! Wow, anything but that word. Waiting is bad enough, but to wait patiently is to say we cannot wait with an "attitude."



Here is a little exercise you can try today. Every hour, on the hour, purposely connect or reconnect with God.