The Weight of The Wait Challenge Day Ten – It’s Not Punishment, It’s Preparation
God's love shows up in preparation...
Dear Brave Hearts for Christ,
It’s not punishment. It’s preparation. This has been going around on social media for some time now. If I’m honest, I was starting to get annoyed. Sometimes, I think people post blindly. We love inspiring people with words of encouragement, but I often wonder if these words have any real weight to them. Are you just posting to get your likes up or to truly encourage?
Either way, it’s not my place to judge. What I have discovered though is that as much as these words may have started to annoy me, they also gave me a different perspective. It truly can feel like punishment when you’re facing eviction, divorce, or sickness and you’ve cried out to God a million times. You’re wondering why you have to keep struggling when you tithe, steward your finances well and you put Him first in every area of your life.
Why does this have to be the test? Now here’s the beauty of this if you’re one who has faced financial hardships like me. Where you’re headed not only comes with a lot of responsibility, but it probably comes with a huge responsibility regarding finances and wealth. I’ve found that people who struggle greatly in this area, to no fault of their own, God is preparing them to manage money on a larger scale. It may be for a company, a project or just your earthly assignment (I see you sis with your non-profit building).
Photo by Daniel Xavier (Pexels)
I’ll give another example. I have nannied for two families throughout my life. One family was in 2019. I remember cooking one night and this overwhelming sadness came over me. I literally said, “Lord, when am I going to be cooking for my own family?” I heard the Holy Spirit say, “You’re preparing for your own family.”
It blew my mind. Unfortunately, sometimes our preparation will be our pain point. Imagine the marriage & family therapist who counsels people through their marriages and family issues, only to go home alone every night. Again – it can truly feel like punishment.
I pray on this last day if there’s one thing you walk away with, its knowing that God doesn’t waste anything. He doesn’t just have you going through all of this for nothing. He will use every bit of it when the time comes. Take a look around you and journal the things that make you realize how God is using your situation to truly prepare you for the next leg of your journey. Then, continue to get ready. Your waiting season is almost over!
Scripture: Proverbs 24:27, Hebrews 11:7
Worship Song: I’m Getting Ready by Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Video Day 10
I pray this challenge stretched your faith, challenged your view of waiting on God and made you realize how much He loves you! It was important for me to re-launch my newsletter with this challenge because I want my sisters to see God the right way. Fall in love with His character while waiting on His timing. Regardless of what you're working on in life, waiting is apart of life. You will always be waiting on something, even in a season of thriving.
Ya Girl,