Waiting Faithfully

It is human nature to always be thinking about the future. It is something that, when discussed or thought about, can bring up a variety of emotions: excitement, fear, confusion, anger, apathy, anticipation, or envy. As a newlywed wife I had a lot of excitement for my future with my husband, the children we will eventually have, building memories in our new home, successful careers, etc.

 We all love to think about the good times to be had in our future. Our vision of our ideal future is beautiful to us and it is hard to think of it any differently than we have already envisioned. But what happens when our ideas of the future do not line up with God’s vision for our future? Over the past several years God has revealed to me how much holding on to our image of the future can keep us from His plan. 

Like many women I know, I am a planner. There is always a list of things to accomplish for the day, the week, and the year. My plans make me feel secure, in control and confident in my abilities to accomplish what I believe needs to be done. While in college I had a plan for my career and I was excited to make it happen. I started out with great confidence that I could do anything I set my mind to. 

When it came time for graduation I was ready to get my life started, but this is when God first told me to wait. I was ready to get married, find the perfect career and start the beautiful life I had envisioned. And, just like anyone else, I hated the idea of having to wait. I’m not good at it and I am not sure I ever will be. But my fiancé had not completed his degree and my parents insisted that that expectation was met prior to a wedding, as well as the attainment of jobs. So instead, God guided me to the decision to start a master’s degree at the university my fiancé was at. Not wanting to spend my time waiting without some type of pursuit/goal I threw myself into earning a Master’s of Teaching in Secondary Education. Despite not being happy about having to wait to get married, I was easily distracted by school and it led me to my first career as a teacher. 

This was not the career I had envisioned and over the next two years I would struggle over whether or not I should be a teacher. To a certain extent I was successful in the career, but it never felt right. I could not develop the passion for teaching that I believe you need to have to do the job right. I clung to the fact that I knew God had directed me to teaching for a reason. I found peace in a quote from Mother Theresa that says “God did not call me to be successful, He called me to be faithful” and that is what I intended to do. 

After being married for a couple of years, and in my second year of teaching, we found ourselves in a financially stable condition that allowed me to walk away from teaching to pursue a new career. Once again, I had developed a new vision for what my future would be and what my new career should be. I then spent months searching and applying for jobs, but quickly became frustrated with the lack of response I received from my applications. I found myself feeling defeated, worthless, confused and angry that it was not working out the way I wanted it to. These feelings constantly surfaced as I waited for God to reveal my next steps. After reminding myself of the fact that my plan will never be better than His, I opened my heart to His will, knowing He will bless us beyond words just like He had done before.  

However, on an almost daily basis, I caught myself losing trust in Him and the expectation that He will work in my life. So I was led to question what do you do when you are willing to follow God’s will, but He has not revealed the next step for you? As I waited on God’s perfect timing, I found peace while focusing on these five things:

Jeremiah 29:11 New International Version (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

This has been a long time favorite verse of mine that I have had memorized for years. In my moments of doubt, it is an instant reminder that He holds my future and that His plan is more wonderful than I could even imagine.

Romans 12:11 New Living Translation (NLT) Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

God calls us to serve and serve constantly. Admittedly this is an area that I struggle with. I want to serve, but I never feel sure of exactly where He wants me. I yearn for something big and exciting to do in His name. But I have learned that serving does not have to always be some extravagant thing. It is simply a willingness to step up to any opportunity God presents to you to show His love. It can be as small as helping a stranger in need, helping a friend with a project, or showing compassion to someone who is dealing with a loss. If you want to serve in a more structured way, churches have ways to serve and there are always plenty of volunteer organizations that would love to have you. 

James 5:16 New Living Translation (NLT) Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

As believers we are called to have fellowship with other Christians. These bonds bring accountability, friendship, guidance, and opportunities to show love as well as receive love. In good times or bad, it is always good to have other believers beside you to walk through life together. If this is something you do not already have, I highly recommend you seek out a small group at your local church or other believers you know to pursue true fellowship.

James 1:5 New Living Translation (NLT) If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

We often get caught up in thinking that we know everything, but then fall on our face in our attempts to accomplish something. I find great strength and confidence in knowing that God has promised to provide wisdom to those who ask. He may not reply right away or may not give you the response you want, but He has assured us that He will reveal wisdom and truth to us if we just ask.

Romans 12:2 New Living Translation (NLT) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 8:28 New Living Translation (NLT) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Simply put, we just have to give ourselves to God and follow His will by taking action when He guides us to do so or waiting when He tells us to wait. Of course, with our innate hatred for waiting, that is always easier said than done. Pursue time with God, pray that He will give you peace, guidance and open your eyes to His path for your life.

After seeking God’s wisdom, He revealed to me that a passion for teaching would come when I saw it as an opportunity put in my path by God; a way to share His love. I followed God’s calling back into a career in teaching. When I pursued my relationship with God, and His will for my life, I found a peace and passion for my career that I never thought was possible. Even though we only see some of the puzzle pieces of our lives God sees the completed puzzle, which is more beautiful than we can imagine.