A Time For Everything
In life there are many seasons. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To everything there is a season. There are seasons to move rapidly, seasons to move hastily and seasons to be still.” It is so difficult to accept these seasons, especially when they do not align with what we feel like we should be doing.
After graduating from college I had so many expectations for my life. I thought I would have a great job as a research assistant, my own apartment and traveling the world with my frequent flyer miles. When none of this happened, I began to question God’s plan and ultimately his love for me. I would spend hours on social media watching my friends and peers from school living their dreams in great cities, with great relationships. I remember asking God, when will it be my turn? I was so caught up in what I thought I should be doing that I was devaluing my own life because nothing was good enough. I began to look at myself as purposeless and unproductive. I was growing weary of being still. I needed action. I was praying relentlessly, but I still was unsatisfied. I wanted results, and I could not understand why everyone else was being blessed and I was just on the side with my hands open, waiting for my blessing.
I learned that sometimes God delays our blessings to see if we can celebrate someone else’s victory while we wait for ours. You may ask yourself well, “How can I celebrate when people behind me are picking up their blessing and I am still waiting for mine?” You tell yourself I’ve been obedient to God, and praying fervently, “why must I wait longer?”
The answer is simple, what God has planned for you is something so special that it is taking extra time on the assembly line. God has something so extraordinary planned for your life that you have to hang on a little longer to receive your blessing. Yes, this is hard to accept. Some people may decide to settle for less than God has for them because they are tired waiting. In the end, they walk away with a half blessing because they could not trust God’s timing. Even though I may complain to God and grow impatient, I refuse to settle for less than God’s best.
You may be praying to God for a better job, a spouse who loves the Lord, or a new opportunity, like I am, and God knows this. God knows that you ordered something special off the menu that is greater than the ordinary. He wants us to trust that he is Lord, and believe what he has for us is exponentially greater than anything we could create for ourselves. Remember Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Something I like to remember is that it takes 13 hours to build a Toyota and 6 months to build a Rolls Royce. Your level of patience and trust in the Lord determines which one you will receive. Are you willing to wait longer while your blessing is being produced or will you just take anything that comes your way? The choice is yours. Galatians 6:9 reads, “do not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart”. Even when it feels like nothing is being done, continue to do the right thing and pursue the Lord wholeheartedly and he will present you with something even better than what you prayed for.
Love,
Lauren Alyssa