Have you ever stalled out on the side of the road? There are few things in life that make you feel more helpless. I remember one time driving to work and I hit a massive pothole. My tire went flat, and I had to pull over on a freezing cold day. A co-worker drove by and asked if I needed a ride, but I told him I had to wait for the tow truck. So there I was, stuck on the side of the road with my hazards on…waiting, and waiting, and waiting…while everyone else zoomed off to where they needed to be.
Recently, I hit a massive, metaphorical pot hole, leaving my life completely stalled out. I was zooming along, assuming that my road would be smooth sailing. And then, out of nowhere, it all fell apart. And there was nothing I could do about it. All that momentum, all that direction, all that hard work and confidence…gone. And there I was, stuck on the side of the road of my life. And all I wanted to do was move. But the truth was, there was nothing I could do.
I tried to keep busy and started to make plans. I imagined what was next, I brushed up my resume, I reached out to contacts, I started this blog…but the truth is, all that action was a lot like running circles around a stalled out car. You feel like you’re moving, but you’re not actually going anywhere. God kept reminding me that while I could run around the car all I wanted, I simply had to wait for the tow truck.
When life stalls out, you can run laps around the car to distract yourself, or you can learn how to wait in such a way as to develop your spiritual core – your connection with God, and the character you need when things don’t go your way. Here are three ways you can make the most of a season of waiting:
Pray
[Philippians 4:6-7, NLT]
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
It seems cliche, but I know when I am cruising along in life most of my prayers are short and off-the-cuff. A “thank you” here, a “please help” there, but I don’t take the time to allow prayer to be a dialogue or an examination. One of the gifts in seasons of waiting is that you have time to delve deep into whatever is going on inside, rather than keeping busy with mindless distractions. You can get in touch with the fears, the longings, the resentment, or the desires that you have been keeping at bay. Journaling prayers is a great way to chronicle your journey through this season. One way that I practice prayer is to write down verses in the Bible or passages in a book that really stand out to me and then use that as a jumping off point to talk to God about how I am feeling or what I am thinking. Instead of trying to rush through this life season, try to reframe it like an extended time with a loved one where you are free to discuss whatever happens to come up in conversation.
Learn
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
[Romans 12:2, NLT]
It’s easy to go to mind-numbing activities when you are waiting for the next thing to come along. And while there is time for Netflix binges and refining your MarioKart skills, seasons of waiting also offer an opportunity to learn and grow through intentional activity. Maybe there is a book you have been putting off, a topic you have wanted to research, or a hobby you have been longing to pick back up. Building in time to learn can keep you from climbing the walls in boredom but also opens you up to God’s unexpected leading. Perhaps there is a new direction God wants you to consider or maybe he simply wants to reveal something new about his character to you. Too often we limit ourselves to what we know and what is comfortable. Taking this opportunity to grow personally can give us skills and insight that we might never have made time for if we just kept moving along at our own pace.
Rest
[Matthew 11:28-30]
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
When was the last time you took a nap, or slowly enjoyed a cup of coffee, or caught up with a friend without having to rush to the next appointment. Many of us live off the adrenaline of being busy. Busyness can lure us into feeling important. But the truth is most of us are living at such a frantic pace that our lives feel fragmented and disjointed. When your life stalls out, and you are put in a position of having to wait, it is an opportunity to recalibrate the pace of your life. Many of us fear being seen as lazy or unmotivated [totally guilty here] and so we try to fill up our time with commitments, networking, ‘urgent’ work etc. And while it is important to do what you can in this season, the gift of rest is one that we can run right by. Jesus does not call us to live frantic and frenetic lives. Perhaps in this season you can take time to check-in with God to see if your lifestyle is sustainable. What are the expectations that are driving your behavior? How has your schedule impacted your relationships? What would you do differently in this next season? Sometimes losing all momentum helps us to reevaluate the way we have been living and make a course correction.
Are you in a season of waiting? How have you taken the opportunity to lean into the season rather than disengage?
