What are you waiting on?

Waiting is uncomfortable. It can simultaneously make us anxious, frustrated, disappointed, and sad. It has a way of testing our character and our hearts. But, the Lord has asked each of us at some point in our lives to wait. And, if I were guessing, I'd say you're waiting on something right at this moment. It can be a tiny inconvenience or an answer to a prayer you've been waiting on for a very long time. I feel like I know a little something on this topic. Specifically in the area of relationships. Or should I say, the lack of one in particular.

I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine about our frustration with "dating." We were joking about how many set-ups and/or blind dates we've been subject to lately. Between both of us, it's over half a dozen. Please know that I'm not opposed to being set-up...at all. God works in ways that I have yet to figure out, so I'm open to however He wants to work in my life! Our frustration was more about the set-ups being less than what we had hoped for, or maybe in some cases, not at all what we were looking for. And then the ones we do get excited about, inevitably don't work out. For you single girls (& guys) out there, you know exactly what I'm talking about! Let's face it, dating is just hard. I think it's been harder for me because I never thought I would have to wait this long for the "one." I always envisioned myself getting married in my early twenties. I'm the girl who has dreamed about her wedding day and future marriage since I was a teenager. It's always been a when not an if I get married. Every year as I've gotten older, however, I am more worried about the when. Another year passes and it still hasn't happened, and I find myself disappointed yet again. I've come to the realization that I am waiting on this to happen...just this. That everything else in my life pales in comparison to that one thing I want more than anything. Not that I don't love my life, I do. But, at times, I'm waiting on a man like my life depends on it. And it doesn't. My life should be first and foremost about Christ. That's it. Only HE deserves that place.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" - Psalm 37:4

The desire to have a husband hasn't gone away. It's still very much there. But, I've come to the point where I don't want to wait for a man...I want to wait on the Lord. I know, sounds kind of elementary right? Like, why haven't I already been doing that? Well, I have in some ways, but I've also been waiting on my prince to show up any second. I can't make it happen; only the Lord knows when it's supposed to happen and when the timing will be perfect. I want to rest in that. I want to delight in Him. Still, I know that even as I write these words there will be days I am going to fight to rest, to trust. Waiting is painful. It's uncomfortable, remember? But, sometimes, I believe the Lord puts us in these seasons to develop something more beautiful out of us that couldn't have been done otherwise. This isn't the way I would have chosen, but I do choose to trust Him.

So, what are you waiting on? Maybe you're already married and your season of singleness has passed. Maybe you're now waiting on a baby, or a dream job, or physical healing. Whatever it might be, I encourage us to live each day with joy while we're waiting. Because when that one thing we've been waiting on finally comes, we'll be waiting on another prayer to be answered that we may not even know about yet.