Hurry Up and Wait

I took off from my house down the stoplight-lined road. I settle int0 a strong, but comfortable pace as I hit the timing of the stoplights just right. Green, green, green. Up ahead, I see the sign counting down with less than ten seconds before the red light comes. I pick up the pace and sprint to make the signal. Out of breath, I look ahead to see a similar situation unfolding before me... 10, 9, 8... I pick up the pace only to realize that there is no way I'm going to make this one. I stood waiting at the intersection. I exerted all that energy and I probably could have just maintained my pace to end up in the same place.

How often do I hurry up so I can wait? I sprint to make the cut and find that I am only stuck at the next stop. "God, would you just show me what to do next? Please? Now?" Sure, I eventually receive some relief only to reach another stage of waiting. I will often try to rush through a season of waiting only to arrive at another road block.

There will be seasons that ebb and flow, mirroring the rush of the sprint and the stop. But most of the time, God is calling us to steadiness. Steadiness that resembles day-by-day faithfulness. "Maintain your pace and trust me in the process."

It is easy to get caught up in the world's imposed sense of urgency. "I must do this now. I must know this now." Yet, God's heart calls us into communion with Him as we let Him set the pace. When we trust Him with the outcome, we know that no work will ever be in vain.