Right now we're living in a townhouse that isn't my favorite. Most of my pretty things are packed away, the windows are bare, the bathroom door is off so that I have room to bathe my children. Our relationships are few; we rarely have plans on the weekends. We're living in a time of transition.
We knew in moving here that we’d be here for only 7 months, but we felt it best to come as a family. Bradley is in school, and once he graduates we'll be moving on to another place. And we don't know where we're going. Here we are less than three months from his graduation date and still no word on where they're sending us.
This kind of waiting drives me nuts. I like to anticipate things, plan for the next big life event, have my ‘ducks in a row’. With children I like those things even more, and when I think about choosing schools, therapists for Mason, a place to live, and all of the other issues that come with a move, I start to get impatient, and just a little bit irritable.
We are waiting for answers, direction, the next step. But all we have is silence.
Maybe you are waiting too? Waiting to see your dreams unfold. Waiting for a spouse. Waiting for healing. Waiting for a child. Waiting for….you fill in the blank. Perhaps you also feel silence.
But is it really silence that we experience? We might be waiting for what comes next, but what about what is right now? Does our desire to be in the next place, or have the next thing, hinder our involvement in the present?
I’m not just talking about physical involvement, doing things. Sometimes my frustration in the waiting causes me to miss what God is doing in me. How He wants to take this season of waiting to change me.
Elisabeth Elliot said, “He makes us wait. He keeps us on purpose in the dark. He makes us walk when we want to run, sit still when we want to walk, for He has things to do in our souls that we are not interested in.”
Elisabeth Elliot said, “He makes us wait. He keeps us on purpose in the dark. He makes us walk when we want to run, sit still when we want to walk, for He has things to do in our souls that we are not interested in.”
Is it possible that by disliking the waiting I’m exhibiting a disinterest in God’s soul-work?
What if waiting is the blessing? We don’t know what God is doing. We can’t begin to put ourselves in His role. There may be work that He needs to do in us, work that we might not like, deep soul-cleansing that takes time, maybe even fire.
Yielding ourselves to God’s timing might yield a fruitful harvest in our souls, a blessing that God is working out.
“For it is God who works in you, both to work for His good pleasure,” Philippians 2:13.
As I’ve struggled to embrace this season of waiting on our next move, God is graciously bringing me to a place of acceptance. To enjoy right now. And you know what? I’m starting to love it.
I don’t mind the house anymore (for the most part). I love that our family has so much time together. God is opening my eyes to people that are in my life here, and is giving me avenues to build relationships that I hadn’t expected. But do you want to know the sweetest part? The Lord is uncovering things in my heart that I hadn’t seen before and it’s wonderful.
In her book, A Million Little Ways, Emily Freeman says, “...the waiting can also grow us, shape us from the inside out for sacred work. This is a kind of work that happens only in the secret place of abiding in the presence of Christ even in the midst of broken dreams and tired circumstances.” (p 147),
God wants us to be patient. Scripture is full of verses about waiting on the Lord. Not for Him to show up--He never left; not to be God--He never changes. We are to wait for His timing in all things, for His perfect working out of the story that He has been unfolding since the beginning of time. Our life is a part of that story, but He is writing it, not us.
And He wants us to rest in Him as we wait. To come near to Him and know Him deeper. We might wait for a long time, maybe the answer will come tomorrow. Either way, we can choose to trust in the Lord, and bless Him while we wait.
When we embrace the time of waiting as a time to embrace Jesus, He will work wonders in our hearts.
This is Day 15 of: Made to Pour, Living a life of Blessing
Lauren, I loved this post. It reminds me of the time when we had our home for sale. It had been on the market for over a year without any response. I was carrying a basket of laundry down to the basement and grumbling to the Lord about the delay, about not knowing where we were going or when, even though we knew He was the one who prompted us to put the house on the market.
ReplyDeleteSuddenly, about half way down the stairs I heard, "I can't give you anything but love, Baby. It's the only thing I'm plenty of, Baby." I knew it was God telling me that no matter what it looked like, His love was behind the delay and all the uncertain things. My grumbling turned to praise as the truth of His love pierced my heart.
God is never late, nor is He ever early. He is always on time and He is always working in our behalf in LOVE.
My prayers are with you Lauren.
Thank you, Mary Ellen, for sharing this sweet story! God is so gracious to give us these reminders of Himself when we need them.
DeleteThanks for the post, Lauren! It was encouraging to read during our time of waiting right now. I've definitely seen God's working and leading throughout this crazy, chaotic time in our lives right now!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this month of encouraging posts. I wish I could read them daily, but days fill up and so your blog posts stack up! :) But I appreciate your work and enjoy reading when I do get to it!
Thanks, Leslie. You all certainly have been on a long road! It's been exciting to watch the progress from afar, and I'm sure God is going to use your home as a place for His glory!
Delete