Be Still & Wait
Waiting is hard. But being still while waiting is even harder. I can remember feeling this strange tug-a-war within my being five years ago when I was pregnant with my son. My body had been growing this little person inside me for months and my body was clearly showing the signs that I was going to have a baby, but I still had to wait till it was the right time for this baby to be born. And what became even more difficult was learning to be still, rest and not do too much "busy work" during the last trimester of my pregnancy. If I lifted heavy things or got overly tired and didn't let me body rest, then I could jeopardize the pregnancy and lose the baby. It was crucial to find rest and be still.
My beautiful baby boy was born at 38 weeks and, because of God's miraculous hand, my son was healthy and we were brought him home with smiles and excitement for a whole new adventure as new parents.
My son will be turning five-years-old next week and I can still remember the way my body felt while holding him in my womb. I don't think a mother ever loses that feeling. I can honestly say that having a child is the greatest and hardest thing I've ever done, but even in the difficult, stressful moments I still thank God for blessing me with the greatest gift and honor of raising my son.
One of the greatest lessons I've learned as his mother is to not wish away the waiting moments of life and to learn to find the beauty in the stillness of those moments. As a selfish human being, I tend to focus on the "end game" or goal that I want to achieve rather than focusing on the present moment at hand and seeing the beauty in the breath that I'm breathing right now.
A verse that God has continually reminded me of is Psalm 37:7a, "Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act."
Do you have something in your life you've been waiting for? If you're like me, I have a very precious vision that the Lord gave to me seven years ago that I've been waiting to see fulfilled. I don't want to share it with too many people because I'm afraid it may never happen, but it still burns in my soul when I pray and think about my long-term goals. The hardest part of that vision is knowing that if God wants it to happen then I need to trust Him to make it happen at the right time and in the right way. I have to be still in His presence and wait. If I rush or try to make it happen in my own imperfect way, then the whole plan could be aborted and lost. Just as a mother waits for the time of her child to be born, so I must wait for the beautiful promise of God to be birthed at the right time.
What promises are you waiting for God to birth in your life? I encourage you to be still and wait patiently for the Lord to fulfill those promises. Draw closer to Him as you feel anxious and learn to trust His heart knowing that He loves you more than anything you could imagine.
Psalm 3:5,6 also says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your path straight."
