by Hannah M.
I never understood it. I heard people talk about “joyfully waiting”, or being content in waiting, and I always wanted it. I strove to be happy while waiting, but it never lasted. I could usually pull it off for a day or two, but then I’d be right back to my impatient grumbling and worrying. It sounded ridiculous! I nearly had myself convinced that people who said they were content waiting were making it up. How could it be possible? I couldn’t understand it and I couldn’t reach it. I began to figure I’d forever be impatient and discontent.
But that was me talking.
I understand it now.
There was a reason I couldn’t find happiness in waiting. It was simply because I was not waiting for the right things. Ever since my heart began to grow in the knowledge of things like faith and love, I’d been dodging doctrine and chasing after stories that weren’t mine.
Imagine my shock when I figured out that my story was as simple getting my heart and mind in line with God, growing in doctrine and faith, and waiting for God to show me my love story!
Peace is not found in getting to where you think you need to be, but rather looking at each step, focusing only on that single step, and then taking the next one, and (get this!) enjoying each step as you take it!
Joy comes when we know what to wait for. When you find out really what God wants you to wait for, waiting becomes so much easier. When you believe that God has shown you what He wants for you, and you know that it will all turn out right and beautiful in the end…oh, what sweet satisfaction!!
God does nothing haphazardly. His purpose is right and perfect. He is not the author of confusion or discontent. Being aware of His voice and heeding it can bring only the purest of happiness!
Waiting is good for us. It teaches us what is right and what is wrong. As Michael Phillips aptly put it:
“In all His purposes for the world, The Creator allows time to accomplish them. Whether it be in an individual heart, in the relationships of a family, or in the history of a nation, time teaches, time heals, time strengthens, time deepens roots and gives perspective. For time is an essential element of growth and a necessary catalyst for the development of maturity and wisdom.”
I know now what it means to find unbridled joy in waiting for something you know is God’s plan. I understand it. Life makes sense. God makes sense. Even I sorta make sense!
Thank you, sweet Jesus!
Don’t be afraid of time and of waiting. You are in the right way. Be confident that God is making everything beautiful, even if you can’t see it right now. Waiting makes everything better, deeper, and sweeter.
Hannah is a 21-year-old homeschool graduate living in Pennsylvania who loves writing, music, people, healthy living, dancing, learning sign language, and so much more! Feel free to contact her with questions or comments at hannahemc (at) gmail.com.
Thank you for posting this.
Thank you for the encouragement!
Natasha
A Modest Fashion Blog:
http://www.natashaatkerson.blogspot.com
I love what you said about peace: “Peace is not found in getting to where you think you need to be, but rather looking at each step, focusing only on that single step, and then taking the next one, and (get this!) enjoying each step as you take it!” Wow! That is so true. Now, if I could only remember to LIVE that truth… Thank you so much, Hannah, for sharing this. I needed to hear it.
Thank you, Hannah, for the beautiful post! This is truly a very timely message for me. (pun intended
Enjoy His timing, savor each step, wait for Him to make “…everything beautiful in its time” (from Ecclesiastes 3:11) …one can never hear these things too often. Thanks for sharing this!
- From a fellow homeschool graduate and learner of ASL
Thank you for sharing this! A timely message for all of us.
Thank you for sharing! I especially loved this bit: “God does nothing haphazardly. His purpose is right and perfect.” So true!
Thank you so much, Hannah, for sharing this. A timely piece of encouragement to me as this appears on my birthday and during a ‘waiting’ time of life!
My favorite part?
“Be confident that God is making everything beautiful, even if you can’t see it right now.” I love that the Lord is working behind the scenes, in the dark, where I can’t see…but He IS working.
Blessings,
Rachelle
Waiting for God to write your love story when you are young does bring anticipation and “unbridled joy.” I enjoyed those years of preparing, learning skills, homemaking, and looking forward to one day being the queen of one man’s heart and home.
I am now almost 36, and the wait is not so joyful anymore. It is more of a reticent and quiet acceptance of what is. And what is not. And being fruitful and busy and making the wait count for eternity.
As a wise king once said, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Thank you so much for the reminder, Hannah. It was just what I needed to hear today.