Waiting has become a universal bane of our existence in today's world. We've created a culture that grows up either hating the concept of having to wait or doesn't know what that means at all. We get movies on streaming sites whenever we want them, food that can be done in less than five minutes, and our phones allow us to get information on pretty much any question we have instantly.
But that's all the trivial stuff. I'm talking about being in what's called a "season of waiting," something that usually takes longer than 24 hours or a few days. A season of waiting can seem neverending to those of us that grew up in a generation whose goal is to eradicate "the wait." It can feel like you're waiting for a subway that never arrives while everything and everyone around you continues to move forward. That's where I think our society and it's ever-evolving technology and efficiencies kind of screwed us over.
From my experience, there are several reasons why waiting for something is actually a great thing and one of the main things for me in my seasons of waiting has been learning about my own strength.
I'm typically a pretty impatient person, unfortunately, because I'm a planner and a doer. I like to do tasks right when I get them instead of holding off. To me, doing them as soon as I can is easier than taking the time to plan out how much time I have before they need to be done. And I also like to plan. The organization and systematic feel of organizing relax me and I feel a lot better about different aspects of my life when I think they're "tidy."
So, because I'm an impatient person who likes to do everything instantly, I am preprogrammed to dread "the wait."
However, recently I've been put in a situation that I have to wait again, to see what and who my future will hold.
One of the hardest things about waiting, for me, is the unknown. I, like many people, am scared of things I cannot control and of not knowing what will happen in the future - especially concerning relationships.
Our culture preaches that, if you don't find a significant other in high school or college, you may as well be screwed. And that's a load of crap. I shouldn't, as a female, have to worry about finding my significant other in a specific time frame. Frankly, that puts a lot of pressure on young adults, when what we're supposed to be focused on is getting our degree and starting a good life for ourselves. But, nevertheless, I still fall into the trap of worrying about "finding someone" or figuring it all out by the time I graduate from college. Planner mode again, ladies and gents...
But the great thing about being in a season of waiting and finding my own strength is that I have people to help me out. I have amazing friends at home that, although most are already married and some have kids, encourage me to find myself and grow my strength before starting a relationship.
In all honesty, this is amazing advice because, if you don't know who you are and what you want, how will you be able to have a healthy, stable relationship and share your life with another person? I'm not saying you have to have it all figured out, but if you don't know who you are and the strength you have as an individual, you'll begin to rely fully on the other person to validate you, and that's not how relationships were intended to work.
So, in this season of waiting, I have a few missions that I want to accomplish.
I want to grow more in tune with who God created me to be; my strengths, my weaknesses, and what His word has in store for me. I want to build my relationship with God and truly put Him first, before any other guy. Because when I know, understand, and experience the perfect love of Christ, I am able to love others in a more complete and selfless way.
I also want to grow my relationships with friends and make new friends. College can be a wonderful time to meet some of your lifelong friends, and I don't want to miss out on that opportunity because I'm willing this season of waiting to disappear.
And lastly, I want to try new things! Sure, God knows that my desire is to be a Godly wife and mother and to find that person that leads me in Christ, but I still have a lot of adventures I want to go on. So why wait?! I want to invest in my leadership skills, explore places I've never been, and truly see the beauty that God created around me.
In this season of waiting, I will be more aware of the wonderful things I have in store while appreciating the process it takes to get there.