Have you ever had an ache inside? Like a pit in your stomach. A longing. A desire to be changed and see change around you. A longing for what is to come.
Really, it’s a seed of hope.
For a long time now, probably close to ten years, I’ve had certain longings growing inside of me. Over those years, these longings have continued to develop, and the ache of the waiting has intensified. It no longer feels like a longing, but a need.
At times that feeling can seem like a burden. A problem. Something that makes us want to rush forward, when we should remain waiting.
You know what it really feels like?
Discomfort.
Nobody likes discomfort, let’s be honest. We all try to avoid it most of the time. Most people don’t choose it intentionally. But if we are to really grow then we must learn to sit into that feeling and learn from God in those moments.
Learning to face discomfort instead of avoiding it at all costs is an intentional endeavor. We’ve talked before about how convenience culture rules the day. Kids wait for nothing. Parents don’t either. So, if we are to develop into mature believers, we must intentionally allow God to lead us through these seasons.
There will always be an option that appears to be a shortcut. That option will inevitably serve only to make you feel like you’re making progress, while it is actually, making the road harder and longer. It’s an illusion.
The shortcut is an illusion.
A self-serving idea that the enemy places in our minds to lead us astray. To keep us immature but thinking we’re intellectually elite.
Remember the Kingdom of God is like an upside-down kingdom. To be greatest you must be least. Jesus came as a servant…not acting as a King.
If we’re honest, most of us hate this. We long to be on top. To be served. To win. To achieve.
The dream I described yesterday is part of the reason I’ve come to this today…we reach for things that are temporary and act as if they are eternal. We strive for things that will immediately become nothing when we die. Nothing.
I wonder what would happen if we embraced the seed of hope inside and instead of trying to make it look like what we think it should, we let it be what God intends it to be.
I believe dreams take a long time because so much needs to change within us before we receive them. They grow over time and begin to become more of what God planned. I believe He gives us an idea and lets that sit inside our hearts and minds, until it begins to quiver and shake and begin to sprout little legs…that will one day become solid, strong roots. But too often we grow so uncomfortable that we curtail the root growing process and try to sprout without being fully formed.
I don’t know if this is making sense, but I pray it does.
I challenge you today, to lean into the hope inside of you. What are your dreams? What have you been waiting for and growing uncomfortable with waiting on? I challenge you to lean into that discomfort and invite God to meet you there. Invite His truth and hope to wash over you and thank Him for loving you enough to mature your heart and mind.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12
365 Days in the Presence 