I can’t wait until…

This title is one of the section headers in this book I’ve been reading and blogging about, and it got me to thinking about the roles I’ve played in my life.

Child, daughter, sister, student, page, friend, wife, mother, aunt, niece, teacher, professional, peer.

So where am I know? Where are you now?

I found that as I considered my roles, I was always looking for the next thing. “I can’t wait until I graduate from high school because…” “I can’t wait until I get married because…” Now, it’s “I can’t wait to finish my MBA degree because…” and “I can’t wait ’til God lets me know what He wants for us to do because…”

The issue with thinking this way is that there is never contentment in where you are at this exact moment. We’re busy biding our time eager to be in the next role. When do we stop and take it all in? More importantly, when do we see our life and our current role from God’s perspective?

Are we content with where we are — the role God has assigned to us as this present moment? Or are we waiting for what we deem to be “the right thing in the future” thinking that this place we are right now couldn’t possibly be what God meant for us.

Consider Matthew 7:9-11:

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Is it possible that where we are right now is exactly where God meant us to be — that He has given us His best at this exact moment? As my book noted:

“If we’re trusting God that His portion for us is best, we can make the secret choices that will bring us a heart of contentment. If we don’t accept God’s portion for us, we will become [people] with spirits of discontent.”

This is not to say that where we are right now isn’t free of trials or pain. God didn’t say life would be perfect for us. But He does require something of us. His Word tells us, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (I Cor. 4:2)

We are to be faithful. Where we’re at. Nothing more is asked of us.

For me, that means to be content where I feel so helpless and alone. To serve God where I’m at and with the gifts He has given to me. To enjoy the commute time I have after work as I have some uninterrupted time to talk to my husband. To enjoy the few hours I have with my family at the end of a chaotic day. To enjoy my studies and absorb what I’m learning. To take time to be quiet before the role of the future brings noise and busyness to our lives yet again. Perhaps my role now is a patient — to be healed from the insanity that was our lives for several years.

Take time — make time — to soak in the role you hold right now. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~ Matthew 6:34

My list of today’s blessings:

  1. An extra tight good morning hug from my youngest son.
  2. The extra time I had with my children this morning because of the rain (and not wanting them to walk to school in it, so I gave them a ride)
  3. The pleasure in seeing an immense storm roll into town.
  4. A seamless commute into the city.
  5. Peace throughout the day despite a busy workload.
  6. Coming home to dinner ready.
  7. A call from a dear friend.
  8. An email from another dear friend.
  9. Finishing a grueling assignment.
  10. A special “free movie” ticket received in the mail from a dear friend.

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