HAVING TO SETTLE!
Many times throughout my life I have felt that instead of getting what I want, I settle. Many times we have gone into a store to buy a particular thing and discover they don’t have exactly what I want so I accept a different brand; a different color; a different size and even something all together different. I settled!

I remember when my soon to be daughter-in-law, Faye was looking for her wedding dress. We went to many stores and she complained; "I just don’t know what I want, how will I know?" I replied; "Don’t worry, you will know when you see it"! After trying on many, and I mean many, wedding dresses; she put one on and just stood there. Surprisingly enough it was at the same store we had visited many times before, because they were having a huge sale. She knew! She didn’t have to settle! This was the one! Jennifer and I weren’t sure she was ever going to take it off!

Settling is unsettling, to say the least. Many times it is making a change in your life! However, when you learn that things are not the upper most importance in your life, settling is okay. It makes the times when you actually get what you want all the more sweeter.

I have never minded coming in second or even third in a foot race because I knew I couldn’t run. However, when I was the last alto chosen to sing in our primary school choir I felt the instructor merely settled. He kept coming around where I was and chose all of my friends around me and then me. I may be a little conceited but I knew I could sing and could sing better than most my age, because I could actually sing alto.

When the settler’s came to establish communities in the West, they were called settler’s because many times they set up housekeeping in places that were not necessarily where they intended to end up. You’ve watched ‘Little House on the Prairie’. We all knew what settlers were, from watching that show. We knew that being a settler was adventurous and a good thing.
I suppose another word for settling is acceptance. We accept a situation; we accept the way we look; we accept the position we hold; we accept where we are in line. We accept ideas, thoughts and changes in life’s situations and pick up from there. I believe some things are worth settling for, but I don’t believe we always have to accept. We can always continue to achieve and to better ourselves and to look on the brighter side of life.

If you have ever gone panning for gold, you know the process is to collect water and residue from the creek bed and slowly move the pan from side to side. The heavier objects settle to the bottom and that is where you find gold nuggets.

Remember the story of the lame man from birth setting at the gate Beautiful? His job was begging because he had accepted his lot in life and condition. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking them for their financial help. The two men looked upon the man and said; "Look at us"! Startled, he looked up at them expecting to receive something. But Peter said; "Silver and Gold have I none, but what I do have I give to you; In the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk"; Acts 3:1-10.

Upon receiving this gift the man immediately felt his feet and his ankles to strengthened. With a leap, he stood up and began to walk. Instead of receiving gold and silver, the man settled for the greatest gift of all; leaping, walking and praising God.

Settling is not a bad thing unless you accept it as a bad thing. When Jim asked me to marry him, I accepted his offer and have settled down into our life together. When my children came along, I accepted my new place in life as a mother and settled into a motherly routine. Accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior, I have settled down under His wings. Jane Ann