Season of Waiting
I’ve been trying to think of something I wanted to write on here for the past little while & for some reason I just couldn’t put what I was feeling in my heart into words. But right now, I’m sitting at my desk listening to some good ol’ John Mayer and I feel like I finally know what I need to say.
Recently I seem to have been stuck in what a lot of people have defined as a ‘season of waiting’. Every time I hear that phrase it makes me a little frustrated. Because when I picture waiting, I think of standing in a really long line at an amusement park in the heat of Summer. Which, to me, is kind of miserable. There’s nothing to do besides stand & wait, it’s way too hot outside & you’re just wishing for some shade. All you want is to make it to the end of that line & feel the rush of the roller coaster.
But whoever said that waiting had to be so helpless? Just because you’re ‘waiting’ for something doesn’t mean you have nothing to do or enjoy in the process. You might not be exactly where you want to be at this moment, but that doesn’t mean you have to be discontent with what you do have. I know it’s hard. I know you’re disappointed and your heart is breaking & you wonder if the hurt will ever go away. You’re exhausted & at the end of each day you think ‘I just can’t do this anymore‘. It can be so difficult to feel like no matter how fast you run, you just keep hitting a wall that stops you from getting where you’re trying to go. But here you are. You continue to get up again & again and you never quit. That’s what counts.
Hearing people say over and over that you just need to be ‘happy where you are’ is disheartening at times. You think ‘I am trying. I want so badly to be happy’. You look around and see everybody else succeeding & a lot of them have what you want. Jealousy catches up with you & you wonder how they got what you’ve been praying & wishing for all this time. What are you doing so wrong??
Nothing.
You are doing everything right.
The Lord’s plan for your life isn’t always what you planned. Sometimes you don’t get exactly what you want, when you want it. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but trust me when I say there is so much more waiting for you than you ever could’ve imagined. When you look back at this time in your life you will see that the wait was for your good. So don’t waste the waiting. There is so much to celebrate at this moment!
Everyday I fall more & more in love with my ordinary life. I’m not where I thought I would be right now, and I’m still in this ‘season of waiting’ but I’ve decided that I will not stand still anymore. Just because I’m learning patience, that doesn’t mean I can’t find joy in the life I’m currently living. Yes, some days are harder than others & my life is far from perfect, but I’m not afraid of the wait anymore. I’m choosing to thrive in God’s love, trusting that He’s got me & my life in His hands.
One day after I felt especially frustrated and upset that things didn’t seem to be working out I came across Joshua 1:9
“Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.”
God is always with me & He’s always with you. So what do we have to fear? He already has everything worked out, even the smallest details of our lives.
Maybe it’s in this time of your life that you find who you were always meant to be. You don’t have to stand still in the seeming never-ending line of waiting. God is working in your life even if you can’t see it right now. Embrace your life for what it is and don’t let this opportunity of learning & growing pass you by. There is always something more. Even in the waiting.
And one day, when you finally board that roller coaster, it’s going to be the greatest ride of your life.
Many hugs,
April 23rd, 2019 at 5:27 pm
WOW!! I felt like I really needed this little chat, such a great post!! 💓
April 23rd, 2019 at 6:21 pm
Lovely post, Ellie! So true! I find I have a hard time waiting and being content with what I have/what’s going on at this moment.
April 23rd, 2019 at 8:13 pm
Your thoughts on this topic are so sweet! I loved reading this! 💗
April 23rd, 2019 at 9:02 pm
I had the hardest time in my “waiting” period. I wanted so bad to complete high school and get married right away. Little did I know it would be a 5 year wait. I became so discontent I dated anyone who halfway showed interest, and had my heart broken so many times! When i finally came to a place where i just told God “i will be content with where i am and enjoy where i am” that i actually met my husband. I wasnt looking, i was enjoying life. I was enjoying my family, my freedom to do things how I wanted when I wanted, I enjoyed my talents and hobbies, and along he came. Little did I know we had been around each other almost our whole lives, but because I was so discontent with waiting God kind of “hid” us from each other. The waiting is so hard, but take it from someone who has been through this, IT IS ALL WORTH IT! Do all you can to enjoy where you are now, and I can almost guarantee you your spouse or your job or whatever you are waiting for will show up. 😊
April 24th, 2019 at 7:55 am
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement Callie ❤️your story has helped me & I’m sure it will help others as well!
April 23rd, 2019 at 9:46 pm
Why is it strikes deeply? I also have this “waiting” thing in my life. Good thing I read your post. It reminds me Jeremiah 29:11 that God has a plan to each one of us. Such a great, awesome post. Its worth reading.
April 30th, 2019 at 10:15 am
Thank you so much Ellie! I don’t know how you do it but your blog posts always fit perfectly to my current thoughts and issues! They are so encouraging and motivating and true and every time I read one of them I am so much happier afterwards!💕
April 30th, 2019 at 11:59 am
Hey ellie! I literally love this post! You are really an inspiration! Keep it up! I can’t wait for your next post!❤
Regards from switzerland💗
April 30th, 2019 at 2:54 pm
Hey, Ellie! These words were exactly what I needed to read right now. I feel like my whole life I was in this stage of waiting, waiting to finish school, waiting to move to another city, waiting to get a job and now, waiting to get married, but my life it’s soo good as it is in this moment and I always keep forgetting that, Thank you so much for reminding me that God has a plan for us all and everything will work out just the way it needs it to!
May 7th, 2019 at 7:51 pm
This post reminds me of Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
At first, it can sound kind of frustrating, but I think that it’s kind of cool. Like when you’re reading a book and you think you have it all figured out and the author changes everything with one sentence. But you like this ending way better than the one you had imagined.
Your Author has something pretty awesome planned. So even when you think you have it all figured out, the plot twist of your story will bring you to the very best ending possible.
Thanks for your encouraging words!!
May 18th, 2019 at 8:24 am
This was a beautiful post!! Thank you so much for the encouragement! This season of waiting has been just how you mentioned it, but with God’s Grace we will plow through.😊
Love you so much Ellie!💝
September 23rd, 2019 at 10:22 pm
Thank you for the inspirational words Ellie! I’m going through a hard time right now and reading this lifted my soul.
I love hearing you talk about God. Your words make me feel closer to him. You are a verry special person. And so beautiful inside and out.
Lots of Love! ❤
January 10th, 2020 at 12:27 pm
🖤
April 11th, 2020 at 7:04 pm
Hey, Beautiful! I am in my time of so-called waiting. i am at a difficult age where people think that they are so grown up and ready to date, but we definitely are not. That might just be my opinion, but its hard. My best friends are falling down that rabbit hole, and I almost feel…. left out. Not that I want to date right now, but it doesn’t make it any easier that they don’t share that opinion. I’m wanting to grow up and have so many new experiences, but I want to be a little kid again. It is so confusing! But my real ‘waiting’ problem is that Im still waiting to know who I am. Ive tried piano, gymnastics, coding, dancing….nothing is brightening that spark and guiding me down any kind of path. But I asked our Heavenly Father in faith to help me find myself. Guess what? I was thinking of who I want to be, not who I AM. I am Heavenly Father’s child. When the Holy Ghost delivered that message to me, I was sobbing because I had been touched with The Spirit. EVERYONE READ THIS NOW AND KNOW THAT IT IS TRUE. I bare witness that you are who God has planned you to be and as soon as He needs you to be something different, he will change your point of view and your entire perspective. If someone places a paper in front of you and tells you to write down any and all accomplishments, you write down this, first and foremost: I AM WHO GOD WANTS ME TO BE. I AM LOVED AND CHERISHED BY HEAVENLY FATHER AND HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST, AND NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE THAT. I AM GOD’S CHILD. I have repeated that phrase in my mind and out loud many many times, and every time, I know it is true. And it is very true for you as well and I hope that you feel loved. God is always there and loves you more than you could ever imagine. Lots of Love,
B.
June 11th, 2020 at 10:51 pm
I just discovered you today and I came across this on a day that I really really needed it. Thank you ❤
July 12th, 2020 at 1:28 pm
VERY GOOD TEXT!!!! GOD BLESS YOU SISTER
July 31st, 2020 at 9:04 am
Ellie, after reading this article, I am feeling soo grateful and happy and contended with my life. Your article nearly made me cry. I have started to read the gospel after I started reading your blog. I am sure that after starting this habit I almost always have a great day. I love your blogs, Hopefully you’ll keep writing. Warm wishes.
September 10th, 2020 at 11:22 pm
Hi, after reading this remarkable paragraph i am as well delighted to share myexperience here with colleagues.
November 7th, 2020 at 7:18 pm
I really needed this today, thank you so much Ellie!
November 15th, 2020 at 3:45 am
It is such a motivating talk to listen. And absolutely, there’s nothing better than encouraging someone who’s in despair and needs help silently.