Hope…And Wait Quietly
For the past few months God has been stretching my faith in a big way and challenging me to trust Him like never before. About four months ago I drew this in my journal…
Little did I know that the next four months would test this idea to the max.
I hope everyday for many things in my life and in the lives of those I love. Hope is what keeps us going when things are hard, hope is the energy that keeps dreams alive. It was the waiting quietly that God would need to teach me. I like to have answers…I like to plan and I had lots of questions!
A while ago I wrote a blog titled Adventure where I explained that God was asking me to consider some big life changes with very little to go on. He wanted me to act before I knew the direction we were going. Praying for big dreams is important. We are told to ask our Father for what we need and ask I did. I asked a lot...everyday. Finally the questions and uncertainty of it all just took over and I didn't even know what question I wanted answered the most. So I stopped asking. I remember the day I sat there completely at a loss for what to ask next. I was finally quiet...and He answered me. He was actually answering all along but I was so busy moving on to the next question that I didn't wait to hear His answer to the first one. The thing is, there's always an answer. Not all answers are immediate, most are not even audible. But He does answer. In the midst of praying we must remember to wait quietly. Stop talking, just sit and listen. That first answer was what started the greatest adventure of my life. I stepped out toward a very uncertain, crazy, big dream and I've never looked back (ok, maybe once...it was a little scary). In about 1 week I'll be moving to NYC! I'll be 1,200 miles away from the only life I've known in sunny south Florida. As of right now, I don't actually have a place to live yet. But I know the answers so far have all led me there and I know God will answer this one too!
From the day I made that first decision to step out in faith to now, many things have happened. God has continued to answer. He has showed up in every way possible and I have learned a very valuable lesson...wait quietly. I didn't learn it the first time and probably not the second or third. I still have to remind myself to stop trying to figure it all out all the time. But I'm getting better. The coolest part is, I've started to enjoy the waiting and the quiet.
Be still, and know that I am God - Psalms 46:10a
