Hope Deferred

One day I looked in the mirror and had to really ask myself, “Girl, what’s wrong?”

I was frustrated.

 I was sad.

I was tired.

 No, I was exhausted.

I was out of creative juice. I thought my ideas sounded “blah” and the work I was doing all began to become pointless.

 I sought God in prayer because I just was not going in the right direction. Plus, I couldn’t operate my job this way, let alone the other things I like to do in my spare time (such as this blog). Then I hear:

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick”.

Referencing Proverbs 13:12 I ran the words across my thoughts more. Hope… deferred? You mean like the move to a new place? Buying a house? Starting a new business? Praying my future husband catches a revelation and finds that map to spot me?

Yeah, those plans, goals, dreams, desires all deferred backed by my expectatant timeline was making me sick.

If you’ve found yourself in a similar place in life, I encourage you to remind yourself of a few things.

Rest in God’s presence. Your existence is more than acquiring your desires, even if it said desires are for God. Sometimes we need to focus on simply being more than what else we can do.

Trust in God’s timing. Timing can go either. First, delay could be from being out of position from where God desires us to be. First ask yourself, are you being obedient to the last thing God told you to do? If that’s good, you must come to grips with God’s timing. His ways are not our ways, God may be working some things out. Maybe there’s something in you He needs you to get so you can handle what’s coming your way. Remember, patience is a fruit of the Spirit. 

Uproot why you feel upset. Are you fixated on the desired blessing more than the One who provides? Are you fearful of something happening if what you’re asking for doesn’t come to pass? It’s important we are self aware to understand exactly what is in our thought process leading us toward certain actions. What is it about what you’re hoping for that it’s delay creates a friction of frustration? Holy Spirit can help get to the bottom, so God can help solve this issue.

In the end, let’s remember it’s not about us. We are here to serve God. Life is not about getting all we desire. It’s about serving the kingdom of God. Who can be served and impacted today by our actions? Don’t become so focused on the future you lose sight of what’s in front of you today.

The popcorn-style world we live in has a way of getting us out of pocket with how God designed things. All that glitters isn’t gold, however. In due time, at God’s time, that harvest will be ready and perfect for you. As Proverbs 13:12 concludes, “a longing fulfilled is a tree of life”.