When Life Makes You Wait

Most people associate waiting with sitting in a doctor’s office, but this type of waiting that a lot of us are experiencing is supposed to be far from idle. But how often do we wait for something to come our way? I’m certainly guilty of “what is for me will come to me” and it’s not wrong to have that mindset as it’s gotten me through a great deal, but it is wrong when you use it as a permission slip for idleness. Sometimes we wait for things to fall in our lap before making the decision to move.

Waiting seasons are not meant to hold you back from pursuing goals or chasing after dreams; these seasons are made for making moves! They are meant for you to do the hard work from the inside out to cross the finish line. As for me, I sometimes tend to get distracted from the race, but that hinders my progress. I can’t move if I’m busy being lazy. I can only move by testing the limits, trying and failing and always discovering the next step.

Choosing to leave the waiting room is the beginning of chasing dreams.

Take into consideration Psalm 119:105, “You will be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” The lamp illuminates the next step and the path represents the long term journey and destination. Let’s say for example, my goal is to publish poetry, I can’t just come out the cut and publish a book without taking steps to find an audience. That would defeat the purpose, so I look at the next step to take and I take it even if I have no idea what I’m doing- little secret, between us, I haven’t got a clue- but I started and I’m proud of myself for building.

Hebrews 11:7-11 shares about Noah, Abraham and Sarah who by faith, moved, trusting that God would deliver and he did! Noah didn’t wait for the rain to build that ark even though everyone called him crazy. Abraham didn’t visit another place before deciding to pack up everything to leave and live in tents to receive a larger inheritance from a land he did not know. Sarah laughed at God’s promise and made a decision out of impatience that lead to deeper faith. Plot twist, God still used her failure! That’s right- I said it! God uses failures too.

All these people made a choice to move when God gave them a revelation of His promise. Even in moving with or without failure, God delivered His promises and He still does. So while you’re waiting for the next big thing, might I encourage you not to be idle. Make those moves without fear, lock in and live it out. Become who you are called to become. Go where you need to. Move and take action, lay the lazy to rest! There is always much work to be done to reach goals and not everything that is worth it is easy. Let’s leave idleness behind and move forward!