How to Wait Well (Part 3)
Welcome to part 3 on the topic of ‘how to wait well’, Many are in a season of waiting at the moment, including our family. But in this season, God has been teaching me much about how we can ‘wait well’. I am sharing what I am learning in the hope it will bless you if you are in a similar season. If you haven’t read part 1 or 2 yet, I recommend you do so.
One thing I am learning is that it can be so easy to focus on those future plans and promises, that it can be easy to lose sight of the here and now. I’m learning more and more that to God, it is as much about the journey, if not more, than it is about the destination. Every day, God is putting opportunities in front of me, opportunities to grow, opportunities to reflect Him, opportunities to love those in front of me. If I get so consumed by the future promises that I miss the moments in front of me, I will miss so much of what God is wanting to do in and through me.
I believe when Jesus walked the earth, he modelled this. In Mark 5, Jesus is confronted by a man Jairus who begs him to come and heal his daughter who is deathly ill. While on the way to Jairus’ home, a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for 12 years pushed through the crowd in the belief that if she can simply touch Jesus’ cloak she will be healed. I admire this woman in so many ways. She had not only lost her finances due to having to spend it all on failed treatments, but she also endured over a decade of suffering physically due to her bleeding, as well as the shame and condemnation that was placed on her by the community around her, as they would have considered her ‘unclean’. But what we see is an incredibly brave display of courage, which came from a place of faith in Jesus and who he said he was.
After pushing and shoving her way through the crowd in sheer desperation, she is able to touch the corner of Jesus’ garment, and when she does, she is instantly healed. Incredible! I can only imagine the relief, joy and happiness this woman felt in this moment. But Jesus, knowing power had gone out from him, stopped in the moment, and turned, faced this woman, and not only confirmed she had been healed, but also restored her dignity by acknowledging her as a person and affirming her in a loving way.
What Jesus understood was the power of living in the moment. Yes, he had a mission, which was to save Jairus’ daughter. That mission was in the midst of his overall mission, which was to give his life for the salvation of humanity. But, in the midst of all that, he stopped and was faithful in this moment too. As a result, not only was the crowd around him impacted by the encounter with this woman, but 2,000 years later, countless others around the world are still impacted by this story too.
Jesus knew that there was power in being faithful with the people God had put in front of him, and we can learn much from this lesson too. It can be so easy for us to be consumed with the future, the promises God has made, the things that I need to do down the track, but if we get too consumed with it, we can lose sight of the ways the Father is speaking to us in the moment, and the ways He wants to use us in the here and now.
When we miss those moments, we not only let others miss out on the impact of those moments, but we also miss what God is wanting to do in our hearts and lives too. Often, these moments are His way of preparing us for those promises that are to come. And, according to the words of Jesus in Matthew 25, those who steward those moments well, will be the ones who receive the increase. When we steward the everyday moments well, they actually point and lead us to the promises.
For all of us, our everyday moments look different. It might be intentionally showing Christ in the moments you are with your children every day. Or your spouse. Or a work colleague. Or a friend. Or a random stranger. Or it could look different to that. The point is, one of the ways we wait well is by saying to the Father, “open my eyes to what you are placing in my hands today and give me wisdom and grace to steward that well.” I promise you, if you are willing to ask that question of Him, He will answer. You might not see the direct results in the moment. But I have no doubt that one day when you are in eternity, people will come to you and say, “thank you for doing what you did in that moment, because through that I am here today!” If we are willing to love the people the Father puts in front of us, we will be amazed at the impact. But even if we never see it, we can rest in the fact that at the very least, we are being obedient to His leading in our lives, and that is what matters most!
So, if you are someone who is in a season of waiting, my prayer is that this not only encourages you, but also equips you with what you can be doing while waiting. Let me know how this has helped you by emailing me at hello@narrowwayministries.net.
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