Waiting with Purpose

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

We often confuse waiting with passivity. We equate waiting with sitting around aimlessly. Rather, waiting is a passionate time and a mighty catalyst. Think about it: you get a chicken by waiting for the egg to hatch, not by smashing it! Sue Monk Kidd writes, “Waiting is the passionate and contemplative crucible in which new life and spiritual wholeness can be birthed…waiting, with all its quiet passion and hidden fire, is the real crucible of spiritual transformation.” Think of a butterfly: it gains its wings and its ability to fly through waiting, a transformative process in the cocoon. If it takes its exodus too soon, it cannot fly.

As we are all coming upon the midpoint of our winter break, let us wait for the Lord. Not passively, but passionately. Personal growth is never achieved instantaneously; we must retrain our hearts and minds to “be still, and know that [He] is God” (Psalm 46:10). Take yourself out of the rhythm of this world. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). The renewing of your mind can only come through patient and purposeful waiting.

Slow down. Center your life around Christ. Make His presence your home. Abide in Him. Dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Seek Him wholeheartedly. Pursue Him just as His relentless love continually pursues you. This next chapter in our lives is bound to have blessings and challenges, obstacles and miracles, trial and error, storms and beauty. No matter what comes, we each need to be prepared individually, strong and faithful to our own relationships with our awesome Father. Time is of the essence, and this break will fly by before you know it. Press into Him. Lay yourself at His feet; ask Him to meet you where you are at. He will meet you, and more abundantly than you could ever comprehend. Ask Him to reveal to you what He is seeking to mold, transform, grow, and equip within you.

Be strong.

Take heart.

And wait for the Lord.