Living, Waiting, Learning

Have you ever purposefully not thought about something because you had absolutely no idea what to do about it?

What about that point in the future where your plans end and the unknown begins... what do you do with that?

Or maybe you have experienced begging God for answers, direction, peace, and vision for a long time with little revelation.

Sound familiar?

I'm beginning to understand that all three of those instances are a natural part of life.

Waiting. 

The period of waiting tends to be full of questions.

I asked a few of these questions as I wrote in my journal this morning: 

What should I focus / spend the bulk of my energy on this semester?

Where should I 'pour out'?

Whom should I pour into / invest in?

What is my purpose in this season?

It's probably wise to ask those questions every so often. Sometimes I just write them, pray them, and then wait to see how things unfold. It's a little bit exciting. Like waiting to open a present on my birthday or Christmas that has been identifiable for months... waiting for just the right time to be revealed and enjoyed. That's kind of like waiting for God's plan.

We should be building up eager anticipation, not anxiety. 

Our need to control (a.k.a., sin) leads to anxiety. Why do I have to know what is going to happen tomorrow, or what I'm going to do after I graduate? I'm not even there yet! I can live, wait, and learn today and by the time tomorrow comes, I am confident that I will know where I'm supposed to go and what I'm supposed to do. God's plan seems to unfold in such a way that we always know what we need to know when we need to know it. 

So what about the meantime? 

It's kind of a revolutionary concept to not fill the waiting time with anxiety... so what should we do instead?

How about you ENJOY life. Do what you love. Try out a few new experiences. Invest in relationships, deepen old ones. Get involved. Serve your community. Do something with purpose, even if it's only in the temporary time of waiting. There is always something you can do; it's okay that you don't do it for the rest of your life.

Just do SOMETHING. For goodness' sake.

How about using that time to LEARN. You never know what God may prepare you for in that waiting period when you take 'random' classes, read 'random' books, and listen to 'random' podcasts. Invest in yourself by learning something new. Learn something your passionate about. Learn about yourself. Don't waste away that waiting time by doing nothing. 

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly." 2 Timothy 2:15

Waiting on the Lord is not the time to engage in useless things. 

Keeping taking steps of faith toward the unknown, even in the unknown. Be confident in the Lord's faithfulness that there is a moment coming soon when what was once unknown will become known. 

"I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:13-15