Do you ever feel like you have been waiting on God for forever? Like you have been waiting for Him to pull you into your true purpose? Like you aren’t currently bringing any meaning to the world?
Some days, my life feels stagnant. Personally, I don’t have passion in my day-to-day job. I’ve been waiting for my next step, and sometimes, I feel stuck. Sometimes I feel like I’m not serving a purpose yet – like I’m just living an average, 9-5, mediocre life while I wait on God to reveal my real purpose and pull me into my full potential. But God has recently made it clear to me that He has me where He wants me, and He has instructed me to wait.
Living a life of meaning is probably one of the most desired goals on this planet. We all want to live a meaningful life. But sometimes, we feel stuck. We fall into routines and live in the same day, every day while we wait… and wait… and wait on God. We consider this time of waiting as a pause in our lives as we watch others live out their God-given purpose. We measure ourselves by how much meaning we think our lives have, and we compare our lives to others.
All the time, I’m reminded by my loved ones to “trust in God’s perfect timing.” I realized that in this waiting season, all I’ve really been doing is waiting like I’ve been told. Every day, I’ve grown weary of waiting. I get bored. I get impatient. I look for ways “out.” I compare my life to others. This boredom, impatience, and comparison… all of these things have blinded me to the grace-filled season I am currently in. I may currently be in a place where I’m not using my “full potential,” but that does not mean I should waste my time just waiting for God to call on me.
We often wait for this thing to happen, without striving towards anything else. We wait for what we really want without delighting in the season. We wait without purpose.
It’s so easy for me to focus solely on the stagnancy of waiting. But God is opening my eyes to His beautiful work in my life that is happening right now, teaching me the importance of working on myself while He is working on my heart. He is teaching me to press into Him and delight in Him in this season. To thank Him and take joy in this season. God is sweetly teaching me patience and resilience. Not only how to wait but how to take joy in it and live with purpose.
We should absolutely wait for God’s perfect timing because God is always on time. BUT God does not at all intend us to just sit and wait!
Whether you are in a job you don’t enjoy, you’re trying for a pregnancy, you are saving up for a house, you’re working towards a degree, or you are waiting for a sign from God in general, there is ALWAYS a purpose in the days, the weeks, the months, and the years of waiting. God wants us to live with purpose while we wait.
God is faithfully preparing us and transforming us in our waiting seasons. All the while, we should be trying towards Him. Colossians 4:2 tells us “devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” He should be the goal we’re working towards in our waiting season (and in all other seasons, too!).
Our drive to find joy and to live out our purpose was placed in our hearts by God, and we can’t give that up while we wait. He is preparing us for our next step in life. He is always calling us to meet with him. He will do things we never dreamed of at the times when we least expect it. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). We can still live with purpose when we feel stuck.
No matter what your circumstances are, God sees you waiting. He sees you improving. He sees you making progress. He sees you. This time is grace-filled. The Lord has you where he wants you so let go of doubt. Enjoy God. Learn. Do things you are passionate for.
Do not just wait for a purpose; live a purposeful life now.
