Waiting to Bless

Sunday night Lica came into the Galpão before the Sunday School started, and told us about her 10 year old niece. The little girl had lost vision in one eye and was losing her sight in the other eye. Lica asked us to take her to Natal to the doctor’s.
The local doctor had told them that it was a bacteria, causing the loss of vision, and she needed an exam and medicine. We remembered taking Leandro, seven years ago, with this same thing. He was given medicine to take for two months, and soon was seeing perfectly again.
So yesterday I went to talk to Dr. Ramilson in Natal, at the Hospital dos Olhos. He promised to go early if I would bring the child at 7:00 a.m. He would see her before his other patients.

This morning, I arrived in Aningas at 6:00 a.m. Lica was waiting for me.
“She’s not here. Her mom has her, she’s not in Aningas, and I’ve been trying to call her, but she won’t answer the phone.”
I imagined this little girl scared and needing help, unable to see. The medicine she needs works very quickly. But no one would bring her to get help. I felt sad, frustrated, and I felt I couldn’t relate to this situation. Until Mark said, “I guess it’s a small picture of how God feels. He did everything. All we do is say yes.” And we don’t. Gulp. Suddenly, every unkind, judgmental thought that I had been thinking seemed horribly hypocritical, because I know there are times when God wants to help me, and I don’t let Him because I have other plans.

The good news is God never gives up. He knows how each of us will respond to Him. He knows, even before we do, when we’re going to refuse His help, yet He never stops offering His salvation, His grace, His love. He never stops going after us, to rescue us from ourselves. No matter how far we stray from doing right or being the person He wants us to be, He sees what He wants for us and keeps on offering that to us.
If I want to be like Him, I need to keep going after anyone who needs my help, doing what I can with love and kindness and understanding. Just like He does.

And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]! 
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30:18‬ ‭AMP‬‬