The Growth in Waiting
The issue of waiting for things has been all over my life lately - my friends are struggling, my coworkers are struggling, I’m struggling. Our sermon at church last week was about waiting. Y’all, waiting freaking sucks. I don’t even want to wait on my coffee to brew in the morning (and let’s be honest, my husband probably wishes it would brew a bit faster too because post-coffee Amy is much nicer than pre-coffee Amy lol!). I don’t like waiting for the laundry to finish, and some of us count the hours until our workday is over and the weekend arrives. But there are also things that we wish would take a little longer and time would slow down…. our kids grow up too fast, vacations seem to fly by, and as we get older, our birthdays come a little too quickly each year.
Have you ever noticed that the wait time is often directly related to what it is you’re waiting for? You see, your waiting experience is determined by your perspective. I have a friend right now who is waiting to find out if her husband is losing his job. It’s scary, it’s intimidating, it’s keeping her up at night. How is she handling it? She’s preparing the best she can and praying over the rest. She is revamping their budget to see what needs to be cut if his income is gone, she’s spending time loving on him and encouraging him as he wades unsure waters. But she’s also taking care of herself. She’s spending time with her…. facing some fears - what will this look like if he loses his job? Well, he can spend more time with the kids, and that’s not a bad thing! Maybe they can even cut down on some childcare expenses and that will help balance out the budget. She is absolutely hoping he keeps his job and all things remain nice and cozy, but she’s using the waiting time to self-reflect and grow. In fact, without the wait, there is no growth.
We learn so much about ourselves in the valleys of life, in those hard times. And sometimes those hard times are while you’re waiting. So as you face the thoughts that come up - the fears, the insecurities, the unknown - ask yourself, ‘where are these fears coming from?’ and ‘what am I going to do to grow myself even more so that these fears don’t dictate my decisions?’
Here are some practical things you can do during the waiting time to grow and anchor yourself in who you are and where you want to be, even when you don’t always know the outcome…
Do a dream board & write out the best possible outcomes at the end of this waiting time
Write down some of your fears and work on each one individually as they come up. Be honest with yourself and don’t shy away from facing these fears
Volunteer somewhere & give back. In a nutshell, stop focusing on yourself during this time. You can be your own worst enemy and drive yourself crazy. So get out there, do something for someone else, and remind yourself of all the good in the world
Rest. Don’t overdo it just because you’re stressed about the unknown. Take a deep breath, meditate, and take care of you during this time. You don’t have to solve the world’s problems today
