Hi ladies! My name is Renee Scott, I'm 25, living in Saint Louis, and SINGLE! I work for Jubilee Church as their financial manager and Newfrontiers USA as their conference coordinator. Although I can now call Saint Louis home, I haven't always lived in the big city. I'm originally from a small town in Nebraska, so this is a bit of a change for me. I moved to Saint Louis three years ago when I was placed here for Frontier Year Team, not knowing fully what I had gotten myself into. I was convinced it would be a year long placement and then I would move on, but God had very different plans for me (you can watch more of my story here...).
This year I have learned the art of patience! Ok, actually I'm still learning, but God has taught me a lot about waiting for his timing and trusting wise counsel. Earlier this year I had a guy pursuing me and I thought, “I love Jesus, he loves Jesus, we get along great, let's do this!” When we were getting to know each other we had some warnings along the way from our mentors saying “Maybe this isn't the right time...” but we continued on anyway. Finally, the elders stepped in and told us flat out “We think you need to wait, this isn't the right time.” At that time I felt like it was easy to take their advice. I did feel a bit out of control in the relationship and I knew that we could do things better if we waited, so I agreed.
3 months later...
The same guy started to pursue me again. We sought advice, we prayed, we set boundaries, everything seemed to be going well! Then the elders stepped in again and said “We think you need to wait, we don't think this is the right time, but ultimately, it's up to you.” WHAT!? I didn't respond as well this time around. I had waited, I had put in my time, I had done everything right, why can't I just be happy!? After about a day I started to calm down and started to pray. I was reminded of this verse that says,
“We have a young sister...What shall we do for our sister for the day she is spoken for? If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar” Song of Songs 8:8-9 NIVI realized that they weren't trying to be a killjoy, they were trying to protect me. Looking back through different experiences, I have found that following the counsel of my elders, mentors, people around me who love me, is a crucial thing and can bring freedom to my life. They know me best and they want to see me succeed. Plus, they can see things from the outside that I may not be able to see in the moment. So, in the end, I followed their advice to wait and be patient and I know that was the best decision I could have made.
“The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.” Proverbs 13:14 NIV
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22 NIV
Going green,
Renee
August 3, 2011 at 7:50 AM
Renee, I so appreciate your transparency and your humility in sharing this with us. Your life is a blessing to so many. Thank you for continually choosing to follow Jesus and put Him first in your life. This past week I have been dwelling on the truth that "those who wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth" ... patience is a fruit of the Spirit... praise God for the work of His Spirit in all of our lives. Thanks so much for sharing sister!