The other day, a close friend and I were discussing waiting seasons when he said something that just really struck me: we should be thankful for not getting what we want. He didn’t go into further discussion about it; he didn’t dwell on that point; he simply stated that and moved on, and it got me thinking. I mean, I have heard this statement time and time again, but the timing of my friend saying it to me, is what made me sit and think.
Whether you’re waiting on a spouse, a child, a job, acceptance to college, whatever the “waiting” is, isn’t it just painful when you don’t know if or when it’ll ever happen? When you’ll meet the person you’ll marry? When you’ll get offered the job you want or need? So how is it possible to, not only be thankful that God is giving you the opportunities in the meantime, but that He isn’t giving you what you want or need when you think it’s time for you to have it?
Think of it like this: God is perfect; therefore His timing is perfect. Humans are inherently sinful; therefore anything we want that is outside of God’s will is not good. So any day that we don’t get what we’re waiting for is a BLESSING, and not just because God allowed us to wake up another day. Each day that God makes us wait is God preparing our hearts and refusing to let us settle. If you get that job that you want RIGHT NOW instead of when God wants you to, you might be the most miserable you’ve ever been. If you get that husband or wife RIGHT NOW instead of when God wants you to, your marriage might fail. There will always be a negative consequence when we do things in our time and not God’s time.
It’s no secret that my patience, or lack thereof, is a big struggle for me, but I have never felt more at peace in a waiting season than I do now, simply because my friend told me to be thankful for not getting what I want.
So if you’re in a season of waiting, too, then pray for God’s timing, not yours. Pray for your will to align directly with God’s. Pray that God grant you peace during this season. And never, ever forget to thank God for knowing better and not giving you what you want when you want it. Waiting well isn’t easy, especially when we can’t see the end.
Coat_ EDGE by WD.NY
Vest_ Brooks Brothers
Shirt_ Isaac Mizrahi
Bow Tie_ Jos A. Bank
Pants_ H&M
Shoes_ Nunn Bush
