Slow Your Roll

Waiting is painful. We push through and rush on to the finish line in our search for instant gratification. We want what we want, and we want it NOW. But have we taken a step back and considered the thought that there just might be a purpose for the in-between time? That there could be a reason for all the waiting?

It's been said that the number one fear of people isn't death, but rather a wasted life. I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to bet that none of us want our lives to be wasted. If they were to end right now, would we be satisfied with the way we had lived them?

Would we wish we had traveled more? Maybe. Would we wish we had earned more money? Potentially. But I think the biggest thing would be wishing we had slowed down, really lived in the moment instead of worrying about the future, appreciated what we had when we had it, and spent time on the things that really mattered, like our friends and family.

We make higher-quality things when we go slowly and take our time, right? So why do we try to rush God in His work with us? He's taking His time to purify and refine us, exhibiting great patience and care trying to make us into the beautiful masterpieces that He is making out of us. Why would we want to rush that process? Won't the end product be better, more well-crafted and polished, if we let Him take His sweet time?

We are where we are for a reason. Each of us has purpose right where we are. Right here. Right now. We don't know if we have tomorrow, but we have today. And it's not by accident that we are exactly where God has placed us today.

But if we run through this stage of life just to get to the next, we miss out on what this time had to offer. Perhaps it has valuable lessons we need to learn. Maybe we're uniquely positioned to reach out to someone in need in a way that others can't. Or it might be that we're building the foundation for something we'll need to rely upon later. If we skip these all-important steps, we're really side-stepping the master plan God has for us and trying to substitute our own.

He knows far better than we do. We're called to walk with Him (read: not run ahead on our own), trusting that He's got it all worked out and will unfold each step of His great plan one at a time, when the time is right. He uses everything for our good and His glory, even the waiting. Even the in-between time. If we allow Him to. We don't have to wait until we reach a certain milestone, age, job, title, or achievement to begin living a life of purpose. If we make the most of what we have and where we are right now, we are living purposefully. We are living out love.

May we all slow down enough to make the most of where we are right now and live like love to those around us.