The Waiting Game- Trusting for an Outcome When it Seems Like it Will Never Arrive

Most people don't find pleasure in waiting for something in life. Let's be honest, most of us quickly grow impatient as we stand in grocery stores lines or when we hear that annoying voice recording played over the phone as we wait for an operator to answer our call. These everyday life situations can definitely be annoying.  But if such trivial things as these can get under our skin, what about when you are waiting for something that carries a much heavier significance in your life? On any journey in life; whether it be to lose weight, reach a personal goal, find true love or land your dream job, waiting will inevitably be involved. As frustrating as the process of waiting can be to endure, it's important we shift our perspective about waiting and acknowledge that there are different seasons we will go through in life and waiting is one of them. I'm sure you may have heard the popular 1965 song by The Byrds', "Turn, Turn, Turn" which is based on the book of Ecclesiastes' observations that in life there is a time and season for everything.  We will endure some seasons that are difficult and filled with heartache, suffering, trial, labor, and hard work and we will also endure jubilant seasons filled with love, prosperity, joy, harvest, and celebration. 

Anytime we set a goal in our life and want to make changes to cultivate that goal, we need to realize that change is a process. We want the change in our life but we really don’t want to endure the process that is required for the change to take place. When you sow a seed, there is a necessary period of waiting when the seed is cultivated, when it slowly grows each day, until eventually it is fully matured and ready for harvest.  Seasons can last longer than we desire.  We live in a culture where almost everything is instant- we have instant food, instant messaging, instant information at our fingertips and because of this we’ve become accustomed to not having to wait for anything. Let's be honest, nobody likes to stand in line or wait to get something they want. But as much as waiting sucks, there is a purpose for it- it develops your character. Traits such as patience, perseverance, and becoming a hard worker are results of pressing through unfruitful seasons towards your goals until you reach your season of harvest.  Faith is defined as, "the strong belief or trust in someone or something"(Merriam-Webster).  When we are in a season of waiting, our faith is cultivated and grown and also highly likely to be tested as we patiently persist in trying to achieve our goal.   It's important to never lose our faith and get discouraged.  It may seem like your harvest time is never going to arrive but don't lose sight of the fact that there are some things in life that are worth waiting for, worth suffering for, worth putting up the fight for!  Don’t give up my friend, learn to embrace and appreciate your seasons of waiting and continue to cultivate the seeds that you've sown, for in due time, you will reap the harvest!

Waiting for something you want so badly can be an incredibly painful process. You may begin to question and doubt yourself.  You'll find yourself wondering if you will ever cross your finish line or if this is even worth staying the course for.  The mind loves to mess with you when you’re in a season of waiting. When you are weary from a long season of waiting, thoughts of doubt, fear, and lies will begin creeping in and if you don’t quickly address them, you may begin to agree with these destructive thoughts, which will likely derail you off the path to reaching your goal. Take a stand against these destructive thoughts- your goal IS worth fighting for. You WILL get there eventually if you stay the course.  So how do we stay encouraged in seasons of waiting? How do we stand once again after being knocked down countless times?  How to we press on in times of trial?

• Trust the process and keep the faith- You will indeed one day reap all the seeds that you have sown!
• Stay the course- take time and review your goals and your plan of action to achieve them. Stick to the plan and stay the course, even when it doesn't look or feel like progress is being made!
• Take time to look at how far you’ve already come! Be proud of all that you’ve already accomplished! Even if you're not where you want to be, be thankful that you're not where you used to be! 
• Change your attitude towards the process of waiting- learn to appreciate the process. Acknowledge that with every good seed you plant and with each day that you tend and cultivate that seed, you are one day closer to your harvest season!