Waiting: The Beauty of His Perfect Timing

   Waiting is a beautiful process. It's a process that I've been persistently a part of and an ongoing event that will always encompass many parts of my life. It's a process that every single one of us has been a part of, since the day we were born until our last day on earth. From our childhood memories of excitedly waiting for that toy we've been wanting for 'ages' to waiting in the car, repeatedly asking, 'Are we there yet?' to just waiting in lines, we all understand the frustration and feelings that waiting for something can bring.

  But today, I've come to understand a deeper meaning of the word 'wait'. I've come to see the beauty and the pleasure that waiting for something can bring.

  Recently, I've been caught up in a battle between the desires of my own plans and the desire to please God and experience His. I want to be a part of His best for my life, yet I struggle with standing firm in that desire. I stumble and trip over the 'rocks' of my own wants and wishes and forget that the One who placed certain desires upon my heart is the One who knows best.

Because time and time again, I have been coming to understand that God really knows what He is doing.

And honestly, I do not.

  He is the One who created the world. He is the One who calls us by name, who created us in our mother's womb, who was and who is and who is to come. He is the One who came to earth as a human, who knows and understands every single one of our pains and our hurts.

  He has great plans for us. But when we turn to the plans of our own hearts, when we follow our hearts instead of His, that is when life takes a turn for the worse. That is when we end up at the foot of shame, of emptiness, and of a deep, deep wondering of who we really are.

   I could go on forever of the number of times I've wanted to do something, but as soon as I surrendered my plans to Him, everything changed. Certain people began to appear less and less in my life. Certain events that I wished to happen never occurred. And while many times, I never realized why God did what He did, I know that He was looking out for me. While I can't see the big picture, He can. He works everything together for the good of those who love Him, and He is knitting our lives into one big masterpiece that He can use to accomplish His purposes, through those who are willing to obey and glorify Him. Other times, I was able to experience exactly what God was doing, as eventually I saw that God has a bigger and better plan, and through experiencing His bigger and better plan, I was filled with awe and praise for His goodness in my life.

   That time I wanted to volunteer at a vet's office, but no matter how hard I tried, it didn't work out? God had a greater plan. Little did I know how much volunteering at the animal shelter would change my life.

   Waiting is hard. But I've learned that waiting on God,  as I trust in His plans, rather than my own, has led me to a life filled with excitement, goodness, and unexpected memories and pleasures that I could never have thought of or wished for. Rather than chasing after my own dreams at my own timing, I'm learning to surrender my dreams to the One who knew them before I even took my first breath. Then I must wait, wait for His timing for this dream, or even more, His greater plan, which is so much better than my own, as much as I try to convince myself it is not. 

  As for you, this process might mean waiting for that job you've been desperately wanting, that perfect college you've always wanted to attend, the dream guy or girl you've always wished for. It might even mean giving up what you want so that God can give you what you would really want.

   Why try to live according to our own plans when we know they will end up failing without the presence of our Savior's hand in our lives? Why try to follow our own hearts when we can live out the amazing plans God has for us, plans that have been thoughtfully and carefully made, that have been drenched in His perfect love and grace?

  Whatever you have been praying for, wishing for, or searching for, I want to encourage you to stop and wait. Take a deep breath, surrender it to God. Let Him develop patience in you. And then trust in His timing.

 I promise you, it will be worth it.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.
Proverbs 16:9