By Lois Hewitt

Yesterday was my almost two week follow up appointment from my surgery.  I was to learn what the results of the pathology were and discuss the next steps. 

Chemo makes me really nervous so I have been fretting this discussion for some time. 

We get to the doctor and find out that the pathology hasn’t come back yet. Therefore we had to postpone the discussion for two more weeks.

It’s hard when you are looking for something, good or not so good, and the reality of that  is pushed back.  It’s a letdown, a dissappointment.

It is normal to become frustrated. We all have our own timelines for our life.  I want a child by… I want that job by… I want this or that by… I want to know about my health issue by…

Anyone who has ever had to wait knows that when God’s plan is in place, you plan and plan and plan and still not get the results you wanted.

What do you do then?  Get mad.  That doesn’t solve anything or change the fact that  you still have to wait.  Sit aimlessly and wait?  No, that is not the answer either. So what have I found in my periods of waiting?

Keep moving forward.  The outcome you wanted may not be here yet (and I’m sorry, sometimes you get a hard no) but there are still ways to keep going.

I waited for a baby for decades. I thought I could will myself pregnant (I know that’s not how it works lol) and obviously that never happened.  But I wasted many years in a hovering pattern waiting and wishing.

Those years could have been much more productive but they were not. Not a good reaction.

I’ve waited for jobs, jumped the gun and been miserable because they were not a good fit. Also not a good reaction.

So what do you do?  I’ve learned to pray in earnest for God’s will, which isn’t always mine. And keep going until the path is clear.

For me today that means I continue to heal and do some more research on what I need to know for the conversation I will be having.  I’m not angry and I’m not jumping into anything.  I exercise patience.

Patience is so very hard.  It sometimes feel like you are not doing anything. But you are.  You are exhibiting restraint and are waiting for the light to change to show you the way to turn.

That is the most important thing you can do.  Anger and frustration just lead to burn out and illness. Jumping the gun can lead you into a whole new difficult situation that you had not imagined.

I know my jobs and my life are so small in the whole timeline of life. I know God has other more important things to do.  But I also know He cares for me and He does guide me. I just need to chill enough to wait for His timing.

If you are not a believer, this may sound like some sort of sorcery or something. An all knowing God directing your path.  Here’s the thing, in my 62 years on this earth, I have done things my way.  I have been impatient. And I have made bad decisions because I wanted something. In those times, I did not pray nor was I patient. And my life was chaos.

Now I know better.  I pray in earnest and wait.  My life moves much more smoothly and peacefully.  So you can say I’m a nut who believes in a fairy tale but I say I know from wherst I came and I know the difference between waiting and not.

So if you are in a time of waiting. My advice to you is to remain calm, pray, do what you can and wait for the rest.

It’s never easy to wait on God. All we know is time.  He doesn’t do time like we do.  We cannot understand the waiting but I can attest that I have not regretted one season of waiting.  His plan is bigger and better than mine.

So sit at His feet, read His word and practice patience.  The answer will come if you know how to wait for it. I promise, He will never let you down!