Each year, with the approach of Mother’s Day, I’m reminded of the waiting journey my mother and I had in common, infertility. My parents were married for ten years before I was born. My husband and I were married almost six years before our daughter was born.
One of the hardest parts of waiting for the fulfillment of the longing of your heart is watching others move forward with their lives while you are sidelined in a waiting zone. Like an abandoned car on a railway side-track, you watch as express trains pass by. While others move forward, your life is on pause. It’s easy to feel left out, overlooked, or forgotten. But don’t allow waiting to overwhelm you.
Here are some words of encouragement for those waiting while others aren’t:
Waiting Serves a Purpose
Although we don’t realize it while in the middle of it, waiting is often for our benefit. From our point of reference, waiting feels like a waste, a termination of forward motion, but we see only a few frames of the full-length feature. Waiting allows all the scenes to splice together in an order that is most beneficial for our unique circumstances, while leaving the excess, the unnecessary, on the cutting room floor. When waiting feels like you are losing ground, in actuality, waiting may later catapult you forward, shooting you beyond where you would be if you had trudged ahead and gotten lost on the way.
Waiting Precipitates Growth
The process of growth is rarely without discomfort. I remember the physical growing pains of childhood, the emotional growing pains of teen years, and even now, the growing pains of navigating relationships and seeking to move forward spiritually. Growth involves taking an honest look at ourselves, admitting our shortcomings, stepping outside our own point of view, and being willing to submit to remolding by our Creator. Waiting facilitates growth and develops patience.
Waiting Increases Value
The years of waiting for children taught me to value them more than perhaps I would if waiting hadn’t been involved. Wanting and waiting, and then seeing the fulfillment of your dreams, makes you more appreciative. Look at times in your life when you’ve been forced to wait. Is your gratitude now greater because of the wait?
Waiting is Only for a Season
If you are waiting, be encouraged by remembering seasons change. What you are dealing with right now, will not last forever. Although it’s often hard to see beyond what you are presently experiencing, a new season lies ahead. Even if your waiting drags on, God will give you the grace and strength you need to continue waiting and be at peace with your circumstances. Trust God to move you forward, in his timing, to all that awaits.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the one who looks for Him.” Lamentations 3:25 NLV
©CandyArrington
Candy Arrington is a writer, blogger, speaker, and freelance editor. She often writes on tough topics with a focus on moving through, and beyond, difficult life circumstances. Candy has written hundreds of articles, stories, and devotionals published by numerous outlets including: Inspiration.org, Arisedaily.com, CBN.com, Healthgrades.com, Care.com, Focus on the Family, NextAvenue.org, CountryLiving.com, and Writer’s Digest. Candy’s books include Life on Pause: Learning to Wait Well (Bold Vision Books), When Your Aging Parent Needs Care (Harvest House), and AFTERSHOCK: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide (B&H Publishing Group).
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