Patti Burris

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

God has been trying to teach me patience. I say trying because I know there are days when He shakes His head in frustration when I ONCE AGAIN try to take control and do things my way. It never works out the way I plan and in the end I run back to my heavenly Father determined to be better, to do better.

I have been in a waiting pattern for awhile now. In Georgia when my car broke down and I couldn’t go anywhere. Recently, when I moved back to Indiana, we immediately went into the stay at home order and once again, I was stuck waiting. And then there is the whole partially torn rotator cuff issue. I had to wait until May to see the doctor because of the coronavirus. I had to wait until I was approved for the Indiana low income insurance to get a referral to an orthopedic doctor. That appointment was on June 23rd. I waited for my doctor in Georgia to send my previous MRI results, which never happened, so now I have another MRI set up for July 20th. After that I wait to see if I need surgery or not. Whatever the treatment, it is going to take some time for my arm to heal fully and in the meantime I wait and wait. I have been waiting for 14 years to be able to start a single mom ministry. I am NOT a patient person and I get tired of waiting!

But…WHAT IF…God was waiting for just this moment, knowing that I interact with less anxiety online than I would in person or in a group setting? WHAT IF…God was trying to save me from constantly worrying about groups or having to organize complicated events? God knows my weaknesses and my strengths. I like simple. WHAT IF…this pandemic is actually the perfect time to launch a single mom program out of Patti Burris Ministries?

So what do I do while in this season of waiting?

1. I PRAY for wisdom and discernment. I also pray for financial provision if this is to be a full-time ministry and for the ministry partners that will offer the prayer and financial support that I will need to be able to serve single moms in a full-time capacity.
2. I STUDY THE BIBLE. I keep up on devotions and Bible studies. Right now I am picking apart Revelation.
3. I am PREPARING for ministry. I am planning the services I will offer single moms locally and online. I am adding posts to my blog and keeping it up to date. I am planning my next Bible study for single moms and developing my L.I.F.E discipleship program for single moms. I am preparing to be “in ministry” within the next few weeks.
4. I STAY CLOSE TO GOD. This is so important! It is so easy to slip back into bad habits thinking that this waiting season means that God doesn’t care or that He has left us. This is not the case at all. These seasons of waiting are God’s way of teaching us patience and obedience.

How much longer will I have to wait? 

Good question! I am almost ready to start serving single moms and I can do this regardless of my arm or the pandemic. So while I long impatiently to take control of things, God restrains me until such a time as this.