A Heart in Waiting 

a-heart-in-waiting

A Heart in Waiting

[Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Constance Darby and the next installment in A Very Diva Christmas. I hope you are enjoying our annual Christmas guest post series! Thank you so much to Constance for this Christmas devotional — it is very much her story, exactly what Devotional Diva is all about!]

Luke 2: 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

I remember sitting in the Lawless Chapel of Dillard University, twelve years ago, as an incoming freshman. The chapel was filled with 17, 18 and maybe even 19 year olds all eager to embark on a new academic journey. I vividly remember the lady on the platform saying, “Look to your left, look to right, one of these people will not be here at graduation.”

So like all of the students I looked to the left and I looked to the right, and something told me, “You won’t be here at graduation.” I’m not sure where that thought came from, but I kept it in my heart. All throughout my freshman year, as I excelled in my academics, I remembered that thought from that day in August sitting in the chapel. I never shared this with anyone, not my close friend and roommate, nor my parents. I just thought about it often.

When I began the following school year at Sam Houston State University, I remembered that which had been placed in my heart.

After I graduated from college, I began preparing for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. The exam was quite difficult for me and I struggled to pass it. I was sitting in church one Sunday, and the title of the Pastor’s sermon was “Four Days late but Always on Time”. He preached from the story about Lazarus being raised from the dead, four days later.

As I sat there listening to the sermon, something told me, “It will take you four years to pass the exam”. That was a very long time and to be honest a little disheartening. However, as I continued taking the test, with unsuccessful results, I kept that thought in my heart; four years. When I took the Auditing exam, four years later, I remembered what was in my heart. That turned out to be my last exam, I was now a CPA.

I can only imagine how Mary felt as she held the brand new baby that was promised to be the Savior of the world. Not only did she conceive a baby without knowing a man, now that Jesus was here, what would this journey behold? Luke 2: 19 says, “But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.” I’m sure she thought about them when Jesus was missing in Jerusalem. Or maybe she thought on these things when he began performing miracles, turning water into wine and raising the dead. I’m quite certain she thought about these things when her son was being crucified, and I’m sure when he was resurrected. All of these things were in her heart. But what are these things? They’re the promises of God.

Every now and then, God places a promise in the heart of His children. It could be the promise of a decision that will be made some time in the future, like me transferring college institutions. It could possibly be a promise of the end of a long-awaited journey, like when I finally passed the CPA exam.

2 Corinthians 1: 20 says, “The Promises of God are Yes and Amen” (paraphrased). When God places a promise in your heart, hold it close, and think about it often. He will fulfill His promise to you and it will be for your good. There are some other promises that He’s spoken to me, and they’re close to my heart. I think about them during good times, and in difficult times. I hold them close to me, because I know what God promised He will perform.

constance-darbyConstance Darby has a passion for empowering others in both the Spiritual and Business sectors. This passion has allowed her to become a successful Brand Ambassador for her own health and wellness business. Constance Darby resides in Humble, TX where she attends Grace Church of Humble and is a Lead Teacher in the Women’s Leadership Development Class. Feel free to connect with her at TheJourneysofFaith.com.