Walk whilst you wait, don’t just sit there!

If there is one thing that can gruesomely test one’s ability to endure; it has to be waiting. From the daily routines of queuing in grocery stores, waiting for taxis at the bus stop to personal needs like waiting for a loan approval or response to an application; it requires some level of bearing with the situation until the required action or response is granted. Well, when it comes to even more serious personal matters like relational matters, waiting for ‘the right man’ (as I will refer it) does not get any easier.

Over the years, we have and are experiencing an ‘instant-transaction-environment’ whereby we access commodities at a fast paced rate ‘you buy now, get it now.’ Everything is moving towards the ideals of saving time, making it easier, simplifying and accessing it faster. Thus anything that requires one to wait is viewed as inconvenient, time consuming and out-dated.  Unfortunately or rather fortunately depending on how one may view it, not everything is instant; some things require one to wait and a husband is one of those things. Due to the fast-paced environment we’re now living in, waiting ‘for the right man’ has become irrelevant as most women are on the husband-rush. I am sure if there was a company selling instant husbands; women would certainly disburse their money for this one. The problem with this ‘instant consumption’ is that certain principles that God uses to build our characters are overlooked. Colossians 3:12 states “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Patience is the principle I am looking for. How are we to clothe ourselves with patience if we are not willing to wait for anything? Normally when we wait for something to be or to manifest, it is not because God is not able to do it or because He is encountering technical problems in supplying it; it is usually because He wants us to exercise patience – to grow in being patient. Romans 8:25 confers, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”  

For most ladies, the waiting season becomes a season of doom, dread and despair (the tripple d). A few may view it as a time to work on ones’ self, a time to enjoy the benefits of being single and a time to grow. Instead of focusing on the season at hand, most ladies fast-forward; living from a place of “When I get that husband then I will start living… then I will be happy…” which robs them of the blessing of living in the now, the joy that comes with it and the priceless experiences that birth wisdom. The waiting period is a gift that women should embrace and utilize for their own upliftment. In utilizing this gift, one can:

a)           Pray: "Pray without ceasing" as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs. Prayer is our way of communicating with the Father; the more we communicate with Him, the more He reveals who He is to us, His will, His purpose for our lives and most importantly who we are in Him. By this being revealed, one will have a clear mind-set as to where God is taking them meaning that even in choosing a life partner one will be led by the Spirit and not the flesh. It is easy to get deceived into marrying the wrong person if minimum investment is made in prayer. Looks fade, charm is deceptive and flamboyance is for a while but a man that has his heart sold out for Christ is a treasure (which is hard to find). The times we’re living in are quite critical as wolves masquerade in sheep skin disguising themselves as angels of light, they can only be stripped naked for who they really are by prayer.  Therefore the emphasis on prayer cannot dare be understated.

b)           Invest in you: Take this time and opportunity to seek direction from the Lord, to understand yourself, to put your dreams in place, to explore and to experience. Do not let this time get wasted by you whining about how long you have been waiting or how long you have to wait for a husband. Keep going and the husband will find you walking in-waiting. Proverbs 12:24 evokes, “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labour.” Being diligent with this time offers you rewards whilst lazing around and whining hands you over to slavery. In this case, slavery of worldly expectations and pressures. If you do not use this time to seek God and glorify Him in your waiting, the world will tell you what to do with that time; enslaving you to fruitless & unyielding vain imaginations and desires.

c)           Have fun in Christ: Ecclesiastes 11:9 says, “Rejoice O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth….” Rejoice O young woman in your youth! Let your heart be of good cheer. Allow Christ to fill you with joy and do things that will activate this joy from within. Do fun activities, challenge yourself, hang out with family or friends, visit places, travel, go camping, start a social group to empower others, go for music classes, etc. (whatever that suits you best). DO NOT JUST SIT THERE!

d)          Build your expectations: For whatever that you may hope for in a husband & the future, start praying for it and building on it now. Your expectations of a future relationship that should lead to marriage are to be established at this juncture. Do not wait until last minute because that will lead to confusion and uncertainty which is likely to lead you to settle for just about anything (which is a big no! no!). We do not just settle ladies; we get the best from the throne room of heaven. Proverbs 23:18 (KJV) enunciates, “…and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” This meaning that whatever you expect to have or receive is what will be given to you. So what are you expecting? If you have no expectations then unfortunately you will receive just about anything, if you have low expectations then you will receive mediocre yields and if you have high expectations then you will receive unfathomable returns. This also goes for the kind of man you ask for from the Lord. As you wait, build on those expectations.       

The principle in waiting is exercising patience and in exercising patience using the time profitably. As we wait my sisters in the Lord, let whining be not found amongst us but prayer, investment in ourselves, having fun and an increase in our expectations. Cheers to that!

Much love, blessed.