This One Concept Taught Me to Make Better Decisions in Life
By the age of 20, I was far beyond my years when it came to monetary success. I had a nice sports car (paid off) and had just landed my first residential rental property; things were looking good for this young stud! Unfortunately, due to the economy crashing, things changed...Throughout my early twenties, I made unwise decision after unwise decision. Every time I saw an opportunity or even a potential opportunity, I'd go for it! I remember thinking, "That’s how you get ahead in life."
Or so I thought...
Listen to the Good Christian Podcast episode about this post:"The Power of Waiting and How it Will Change Your Life"
The truth is, God teaches us something different throughout history. God shows us something that does not match up with the American way of speedily attempting to get ahead in life. This concept has become a secret that few dare to follow, and it's taught me to make better decisions in life. I owe where I am today to this one thing.Are you ready to hear what this secret is? (Insert drawn-out pause and suspenseful music in the background)
The one secret that has taught me to make better decisions in my life is this: The art of WAITING.
Waiting can be one of the most difficult things for people to do. Human beings naturally do not enjoy waiting. This is especially true in America, the land of instant gratification. We want to move on to what is next as soon as possible. We are always looking toward the next big thing in our lives.The Bible shares a different perspective on this, which can be found in the book of Psalms.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage and wait for the Lord. - Psalm 27:14
As I mentioned, during my early twenties, I was making bad decisions left and right, fast forward into my mid and late twenties (Yea, I know, I'm in my 30s.) I began to learn that waiting on God’s timing is what leads each of us into living the life of optimal success and fulfillment.Waiting is something that God has called each of us to do through most seasons throughout our lives. Sometimes we’ll never know why we’re waiting. It may be because God needs to teach us something first, or it may be because God knows what’s about to happen in the economy, or that the timing isn't right yet. It could be a million different things, but the point is this: God knows better than we do.
Continue Reading: 'Waiting On God (Why It’s Good Even When It’s Hard)' »
Let me share with you where I am with this idea of waiting today. As I am writing this, I am approaching close to my mid-thirties. For 5 years, I heard God telling me to wait. In fact, whenever I ask him if I could move forward on a business that I wanted to launch, I continuously heard Him say, "Not yet."Throughout that 5 years, I waited. I was patient, trusting God instead of myself because I've learned that things end up immeasurably better whenever I do wait on God’s timing.It's not always easy, but I knew that I had to stay still and do what I did feel peace about in that present-day, even though everything in me was ready to jump into action on what I wanted to do, which is an urge that most people cannot overcome.
Giving in by spring into action without God's approval is a sign of weakness, not of strength or courage. True discipline and valor are found in those who can patiently wait on the Lord.
^ That's good; you should read that again!Listen, I know what I am writing in this blog post isn't easy. If it were, we'd all follow this wisdom and all have better lives, but you can tell by those around you, we're all great at taking matters into our own hands and royally screwing up our lives.To help you out a little bit, I'm going to share some wisdom from the Bible that an old roommate and fellow DailyPS writer bestowed upon me. This is a bible verse that has really helped me to understand why we need to wait:
An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end. - Proverbs 20:21
I have no idea what God is calling you to do with your life, and I don't know when you should take action. What I do know is that there is something fundamental about waiting on God's timing. I understand that this can be very difficult, especially when you see something that you want or something that you know will be for you in the future. Don’t force what God has planned for your future. It'll be far greater then than now.
Be expectant, never attempting to force your desired future into your own hands on your own time. Trust that God’s timing is perfect by waiting.
In conclusion of this post, I want to encourage you with this: Wait on the Lord. Be patient and trust in God's perfect timing. Be full of faith in the future that God has planned for you. Do not try to rush your future into the present; take life one day at a time and allow God to grow you through today. Matthew 6:34 tells us not to be anxious about tomorrow.I believe as we exercise our ability to be patient and wait on God, we'll begin to make better decisions in life. It may not be easy, but it will always be worth it in the end.