Did I Miss My Calling? How to Know that Your Season of Waiting isn't a Missed Opportunity
Most days, I know I'm right where God wants me to be. I'm living out my purpose as a daughter of the King, a wife, a mother of three amazing children, and a servant. Yet, on those days, I sometimes experience the devil's attacks. He tries to break down my faith and create confusion in my life. As a result, I start second-guessing my choices in life and question if I've missed the great opportunity God has for me in this world.
Should I have waited to get married until I had accomplished all my personal goals?
Should my husband and I have started our family after we had more time together as a couple?
What if I hadn't played soccer on the co-ed team and never met my husband?
Could I be in a different season of life right now if I had taken the path of XYZ?
What will happen if I stop walking down this path in life and pursue another way?
The above questions display some of the doubts and uncertainties I have encountered and struggled with in my heart when falling victim to the enemy's deceitful, lying, and cunning ways in my life. Do you feel this way? Have you ever felt the ache of not having a concrete answer for your life's direction? Take heart and be encouraged! You are not alone; it's a struggle for many of us.
In past waiting seasons, I often felt that I had missed my God-ordained purpose entirely in life. However, that isn't true at all! Instead, I've discovered that God has used my seasons of waiting as an opportunity to grow my faith, strengthen my character, and refine my spiritual walk.
Has this process of spiritual growth been easy? Is it ever going to be easy? Absolutely not! It'll be uncomfortable and challenging at times. But the outcome is well worth it!
Like many, fear would often cripple me during my seasons of waiting. However, it wasn't until I hit rock bottom that I decided to step out, get uncomfortable, and kick fear to the curb. You're probably familiar with 2 Timothy 1:7, which says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." How comforting to know that our heavenly Father loves us so much that he doesn't want us crippled by fear, anxiety, or discouragement. After all, he has gifted us with the Holy Spirit. His desire, therefore, is that we rely on the enabling power of the Spirit by living out our faith boldly in the face of fear, loving others through tangible forms of service, and having a stable mindset and outlook on any situation, especially during "seasons of waiting."
In your waiting, are you giving room to fear? Are you opening the door to confusion like I was?
When God leads you into a season of waiting, the end goal isn't necessarily to test you. Instead, God intends to grow your faith and character and prepare you for your next phase in life. Unfortunately, we often mistake reading into our waiting seasons more than we need to. Consequently, we overlook what God wants to do in our lives.
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I want you to know that even though waiting is difficult, discouraging, and sometimes even agonizingly long, your waiting season is not a missed opportunity. Let me encourage you with these three truths I've learned during my seasons of waiting:
Learn to walk by faith
Turn over your fears to the Lord
Trust that what is for you will be coming to you when the time is right.
Today, I want you to choose to recall and claim all that the Holy Spirit makes available to you as God's beloved daughters. I want you to boldly confront your fears and cease trying to control, manipulate and change your waiting season. Instead, today is your day to thank your heavenly Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Decide to submit to the Spirit, live in reliance on his power, and be present for your purpose. Today is your day to be grateful for the waiting season and to share your triumphs once God has revealed his purpose and path for your life.