the season is WAIT

Can progress look like taking a step back? Making sense of my season of wait.

Hey friends!

For this first blog post, it’s only appropriate to share exactly where I’m at, I’m testing this thing called authenticity (we’ll see if we like her). So where am I? Well simply put I’m in a season of wait.

“...but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles…” Isaiah 40:29-31

At the top of the year while most construct resolutions I enter different seasons. Each season guides and shapes necessary life experiences. And while in the moment I am often not too fond of the lessons I am forced to learn during the seasons, the personal growth that follows has proven to be extremely valuable.

For a number of reasons this season I find myself in is different from all others; my guess is because it followed a very transition heavy year for me. This season forced me to slow down and really take a good look at my life, a practice I didn’t consider necessary. My first name literally means “God has sworn to give me progress”, so when I found myself in a season where I seemingly had my desired movement put on hold, I had and still have many questions. This season feels like everything opposite of who I am, and to some degree I have conditioned my lifestyle to not have to wait, and yet the season has been and continues to be WAIT (the irony).

What I’m learning while I WAIT:

1. Trust the process.

No seed produces fruit the same day it is planted. Growth takes time. Similarly, figuring out what we are meant to do with our lives is a process, however, the actions we take daily should lead us closer to tasting that deliciously ripe fruit.

2. Good things come to those who wait.

There is no such thing as an overnight success. Believe it or not it took those deemed “overnight successes” time to reach their new and sudden successful reality. Furthermore, waiting is not synonymous with doing nothing. Preparation and action are still necessary parts of receiving the good that results from a season of wait. Without it the good we all desire would never become our reality.

3. Waiting makes rest possible.

So much of our lives exist in this unhealthy state of go, and the problem with always going is that it leaves little time to think, to rest, to truly figure out our “right” path. Reflection is so important, but it’s also a task that can only be done well when we take a moment to slow down. I’m realizing I’m no longer built to be in constant go mode. Maybe it’s my pandemic living side effects, maybe it’s me aging, but maybe it’s also me realizing that go mode leaves me dissatisfied, burnt out, and overly stressed. By prioritizing rest I am left with more time to think, and I can now ask myself essential questions.

4. You develop A LOT of patience

Why do the things you want so bad take the longest to achieve? Patience is our ability to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. Funny enough my last name means patience (my permanent reminder to be patient), yet I never anticipated being in a season where I’m forced to be so patient. Waiting is hard, and I’m definitely still working towards developing greater patience.

I think more than anything I am learning to progress at His appointed time (aka “Let Go, and Let God”), and it really sucks because right when you become exhausted by the pain, right when you’ve cried all the tears (more than you thought were possible), right when you are about to completely abandon the vision, IT happens. And the IT is ALWAYS worth it. His timing is ALWAYS perfect.

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Nothing is groundbreaking about what I’m learning, and yet these are truths I still need to hear. And for anyone in a similar situation know this:

More soon!

Progress <3