In a world of instant gratification, waiting is the last thing any of us want to do. And when waiting involves crucial areas of our life, it’s even more difficult. Learning to brave the wait with both hope and courage makes all the difference, and these 8 faith-filled tips from Julie Loos are sure to encourage.
Doesn’t it seem like we’re always waiting?
Waiting to turn sweet sixteen and learning to drive. Hanging on to finally become an adult, then we lingering as we wait for the big 2-1.
We find ourselves waiting for Mr. Right, having kids, those kids growing up, and then filling the time until we retire. We are waiting to get to each of these moments, and these are just the big moments in life we have to patiently wait through.
In the ordinary of life, we sit in traffic and at the doctor’s office.
Although we are primed to wait, waiting never comes naturally.
What Are We Waiting For?
Our culture is a fast experience culture. We have fast food, 1-hour photos, drive-thru restaurants, and microwaves so we don’t have to linger any longer than we should. We all experience this juxtaposition of needing to wait but not having the patience to do it.
Can I be honest? I loathe waiting. If I can find a quick, faster solution, I will avoid waiting.
Instant gratification is a beautiful concept. Over the history of humans, we’ve progressed from a patient nation to a “have it now” one. Our nation has also moved farther away from God. Could this be a coincidence?
Why Should We Wait in Life?
And yet, one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience.
You see, we aren’t humanly patient, so God gave us some help to grow patience in us.
Let me share a story with you.
For six years, I struggled with an anxiety disorder. I took matters into my own hands; it seemed too easy to wait for God to help me. So I wavered and grasped at straws to find healing.
If I would have just remained and trusted in Him, my anxiety wouldn’t have remained at the intensity is was for six years. Instead of trusting, I became hopeless.
What I thought was God telling me “no” was actually Him putting my life on hold so I could “grow.” Share on X
Those who do not hope cannot wait; but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. ~Charles Spurgeon
The Value in the Wait
Someone once said, “Christians are a waiting people.”
Remember what I said, our default isn’t to wait. Could this be a hallmark of a Christian?
In the Bible, we have many incidents of people waiting for the Lord to act.
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David was anointed as King and then had to wait 15 years before he assumed the crown and royal scepter.
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Abraham looked forward to having a son for 25 years.
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Noah spent 120 years building the ark and pausing until God said to climb aboard.
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We are holding on until Christ returns and we aren’t given a date or an hour.
Trust is synonymous with the word wait. As we linger, we trust God to do what He says He’ll do. Through this holding on, we gain confidence in the Lord and it’s where our faith meets the road of action. It’s head knowledge becoming heart knowledge and putting it into practice. In the waiting, we find hope.
The definition of brave is strength in the difficult (Merriam-Webster).
As we go back through the examples in the Bible, we can see the difficulties each of the people prospered through. There’s value in the wait.
Brave Christians are set apart when we endure the wait in a society that is rushed and instantly gratified.
How Do We Become Brave in the Wait?
♥ Become more dependent on God and our faith grows.
♥ Pray for God’s strength and He gives it to us.
♥ Remind ourselves of God’s patience with us.
♥ Exhibit bravery by expecting something greater from God.
♥ Seek God earnestly and wholeheartedly.
♥ Become attuned to God and act when He says “go or move.”
♥ Find rest in God as we wait.
♥ Don’t take matters into our own hands.
As we can see, being brave in the wait is what sets us apart from the rest of the people in our society.
We know God is in control, He knows the plans He has for us…
and He promises to help us and return for us.
“While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.” ~Titus 2:13 NLT
I'm joining the #MadeforBrave #Sisterhood every Monday - Sharing our stories of becoming who we were created to be! Today is Braving the Wait! #Brave #Hope Share on X
Julie Loos is the mom of 5 kids and has been happily married to Greg for 17 years. She loves to read, eat chocolate, drink iced tea and spend time writing in the midst of messes. You can find her blog at www.unmaskingthemess.com.
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Sisters, we are called to walk the way of hope instead of the way of defeat. We must claim more than our title of “Daughter of the King.” We must step up and also claim our position.
And we must claim these together. As a sisterhood; a sisterhood of brave women who stand strong in the promises of who God is and who we are.
- We all are Made for Brave.
- We are made to live for something authentic and brave.
- In living brave, we silence the past, transform the future, and take a front row seat to God’s wild and uncontainable love!
So, I’m inviting you to join this Made for Brave Sisterhood, each Monday as we share our stories and allow God to bring hope and healing. Let’s commit to being authentic and brave, one step at a time, side by side, holding each other up and nudging each other toward our true selves. And let’s claim the victory waiting on the other side of brave; for ourselves and our sisterhood.
Let’s celebrate our tears and our struggles as we peel away the layers of fear to reveal the beauty of brave.
Let’s risk everything that brave requires for everything that brave has to offer…
Becoming who we were created to be!
I'm joining the #MadeforBrave #Sisterhood every Monday - Sharing our stories of becoming who we were created to be! #Brave #Hope Share on XDo you have a Made for Brave story to share? Get the writing guidelines and submit your stories HERE!
