Wait.

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14 (CSB)

“I hereby tender my resignation as an elementary teacher at Lincoln Elementary effective with the end of this year’s contract.”

I quit my job and I had nothing lined up for the next school year.  I had a mortgage but was trying to sell my house.  Then the appraisal came back and, all of a sudden, I was paying a great deal more than I could afford just to sell my house.  I had student loans and had just graduated from my master’s program, so my loan payments were looming large.

Over Christmas break that school year, I spent time talking with mentors and praying before coming to the decision to resign from my teaching position.  My mental and physical health were on the line and had been for years.  I desperately needed to make some changes even though it would require enormous upheaval in my life.  

Despite these stressors though, I was at peace.  I felt confidence about my decision and secure in the knowledge that I would have a job for the next school year.  Months went by and I officially resigned in May of that year.  I had no job though.  I had sent out applications and had several interviews.  One position had been promising but it fell through, and I was devastated.  I picked up the pieces and kept applying and interviewing.  More than that though, I kept trusting God to have a plan.  The job that fell through came back after a month and officially offered me the position and I accepted it.  It turned out to be exactly what I needed at the time.

Waiting is one of the hardest things I think we are called to do.  We wait for beginnings and for endings.  We wait for arrivals and for departures.  We wait for births and for deaths.  We wait for growth and transformation.  We wait for the right time.  I have had to wait to sell my house, get a job, graduate, experience healing, for the birth of my nephew and then my niece, for the death of my grandmother, and the list goes on.  You likely have your own unique list with your own achievements, dreams, disappointments, and frustrations.  

There are many things I am still waiting for like paying off my student loans, getting married, and buying a new truck.  Some things I wait for are fun like an Amazon package that contains a new book.  Other things I wait for take more action on my part like when I started a journaling practice specifically geared towards improving my mental health.  I did not experience a healthier mind in one sitting, it took concentrated, consistent effort over weeks, and now months, to see a difference.  I had to wait to see the impact.  

In our society of instant gratification, waiting is the antithesis of everything we see.  However, waiting is where we experience growth and transformation.  In my season of waiting for a new job, I had to learn how to rely on God in a whole new way.  My faith grew in ways that would not have been possible if I had gotten a job immediately.  Yet like most skills we learn, mastery requires repetition.  I had to learn how to wait in the tension of what I wanted or needed and the not yet.  And I have had to repeat that lesson many times.

Waiting is more than just a passive activity.  While I was waiting for a job offer, I had to actively do several things.  I had to pursue job opportunities, refine my resume and cover letter, turn my fears and worries over to God when they cropped up, and continue to actively serve right where I was.  I had resigned, but I was still in my position.  I still had an opportunity to honor God and serve others right where I was.

In this Psalm, David writes that we must be strong and have a courageous heart.  He bookends this part with the words, “Wait for the Lord.”  Waiting takes strength and courage.  In times of waiting we must actively lean on God; we cannot sit idly by doing nothing.  We must take the strength and courage God gives us in those times to continue seeking Him and loving others well.  

God meets us right where we are in the waiting.  He equips us for that season with strength and courage so that we can persevere and keep loving and serving right where we are.  He helps build our faith and prepare us for our next season of life.