And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
—Hebrews 6:15
It is a great piece of skill to know how to guide your luck even while waiting for it.
—Baltasar Gracian
Waiting is really hard. I won’t tell you how I know that. The thing about waiting is that you know there are things you can quickly do to end the torture: follow up, call one more time, change directions, make a quick decision on the next best thing that’s available right now… But are those the right things to do? Will they bring you the best results? Are they strategic? Or are they things you want to do because you are impatient and you just can’t take waiting?
Then, if you do what you think you could do, will it sabotage the best outcome you hoped to experience after all that waiting? For instance, if you go the easy route with what's presently available, will the one thing you were really hoping to work out suddenly work out but now it's too late because you already chose what was there? Who knows? But you have to always factor in the good, better, and best of a possible action when you’re in a holding pattern.
Here’s my take: if you have reservations about what will happen if you move, you should wait longer. There is something about life that allows the answers to your heart questions to come around to you naturally—and you know when it’s right, because you'll have peace.
In these situations, I personally continue to pray and ask that my ears and eyes be opened to the right moment to act in just the right way to bring about the best answer or solution. I ask God to quiet my spirit so that I can be more keenly aware of the movements and soft nudges toward the right way I should proceed. If I don’t get to a place of internal quiet, then my mind is racing with questions and possible solutions to what I am facing, rather than letting the right solution be made known to me. There is a reward of peace when you allow the process of waiting to have its full work in you. Not only do you get what was divinely yours, but you also get the satisfaction of seeing yourself mature through the process of life. (And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, life is hardly about how much you can get out of it. It seems to be more about who we become through the process, which then determines if we graduate to the next level of great opportunities.)
Waiting is not a fun game at all, but here are some ways to win while waiting:
- Find a place of internal quiet, where your thoughts are not racing with possibilities and solutions but it is open and ready to listen to divine direction.
- Pray for the right time and way to proceed to be revealed to you.
- Remember similar times in your life when you were faced with this type of waiting and how after waiting things worked out for the best. Focusing on a positive outcome is freeing and causes you to wait with expectation instead of nervous dread.
- Busy yourself with something unrelated to what you are waiting for. Continue to be productive in another areas of your life. It’s amazing how time flies when you’re busy doing something else and you’re mind is not on that ONE THING.
- Reach out and give encouragement to a friend or colleague who is going through a difficult time (oh and then take your own good advice).
- When you feel a release to act with regard to what you are waiting for, even if it is in a small way, do it.
- Rinse and repeat as many times as necessary until you see a break in the clouds. That break is guaranteed, because nothing ever stays the same. Seasons change, and even waiting comes to an end. Just be careful not to belabor waiting. Be very sensitive to when it’s time to act, make a move, or just move on.
So what are you waiting for today: a response from a job interview; acceptance from a literary agent or editor; an answer to a request or proposal, bid, or quote; a green light on a financial or business proposition?
The answer, the response, the verdict is there and it’s coming…