'Tis the Season... of Waiting.

Children singing and sleigh bells ringing. An atmosphere filled with Christmas cheer. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Except… when you're feeling a little lonely. You can’t be home for the holidays. Or maybe, you are coming home to a broken family. Maybe your parents divorced. Maybe it’s your first holiday without a relative you lost. Maybe you are overwhelmed with life right now, stressed out, and exhausted. Maybe you are so consumed with anxiety and fear, there is no room for Christmas cheer. Maybe you think you are just in a “season of waiting” this holiday season. Waiting for the right guy. The promotion. The invitation. The apology. At times in my life, I have felt the same way, without realizing God has an intentional purpose for every season of life. I wrote a poem about a season of waiting:

Season of Waiting

Days turn into months

Months turn into years

Wondering if you’re listening

And if you hear.

I’m beginning to fear

I will always be stuck.

As time ticks slow

And I’m at an all-time low.

Feels like I’m in a season on hold

While I’m growing old.

Every day feels the same

In this season of waiting,

This season of rain.

God spoke to my heart about this season. He reminded me of the Israelites' journey to the promised land. It took the Israelites forty years to reach the land! Why? Their negative attitude and self-made setbacks. God renewed His covenant with the Israelites before their journey to the Promised Land. He commanded them to have no other gods. Their journey should have taken eleven days. However, their complaining and unbelief prolonged the journey. They forgot God was working amid their waiting and ran to other idols.

Christians often view seasons of waiting in a negative light. We have our idols today, even in the twenty-first century. Instead of trusting God, we idolize the idea of a perfect life. We compare our lives to other people’s and forget to acknowledge how the Lord is working in the season we are in. Instead of using this season to heal and to listen to God, we wonder if He is even listening. Your circumstances may be less than perfect this holiday season. Maybe, you won’t get the promotion, the ring, the relationship, or the apology. However, your season of waiting ends when your mindset shifts.

Season of God Working

I’ve been waiting on a sign.

While you are showing me everything is perfect in your time.

I’ll begin to notice beauty in everyday

Because it is a day the Lord has made!

I will rejoice and be glad in it.

From my negativity, I repent.

I’ll stop going through the motions.

My life will be filled with devotion.

I’ll find beauty in the little things:

Pretty skies, my cup of coffee, the sound of rain.

There is a purpose in this season.

So I will no longer wait

No longer hesitate.

I will light the world on fire.

I will lift You higher.

(Based on Ecclesiastes 3:11, Psalm 118:24)

I hope this holiday season, and in this “waiting season”, you will embrace the gifts from God, rather than material gifts. I hope you will acknowledge that every minute of everyday life is a gift from God. There is a purpose in every second of your time.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for bringing beauty to everyday life. Thank you for the little things in life that bring me joy, such as

1.

2.

3.

Please forgive me for my unbelief in this season, grumbling, and complaining. I pray I will be so positive and full of joy others will see your light through me. I pray that I will quit being complacent and light this world on fire for you. I love you.

In Jesus’s Name I pray

Amen.