How good are you at waiting? I have found waiting to be one of the hardest things in life. What helps in the waiting is an eternal perspective. God's delays are not necessarily God's denials and waiting time is not wasted time. What are you waiting for in this season? This month we explore the Fruit of Patience and offer encouragement and resources to support you on your journey.

Waiting can be one of the most exhausting things we ever do. I don’t know about you, but for me, waiting has been one of the more challenging struggles of my faith. It has taken years for me to understand and accept that everything in life is a process and that, as Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says, "there is a season and a time for everything."

We are so accustomed to an instant-everything-24/7 mindset. Technology allows us to connect instantly around the world and our culture offers a thousand things to distract us every day. So it's no surprise that waiting is difficult.

When we are waiting for a specific outcome, circumstance, person, answer, relationship, dream, or ______ (fill-in-the-blank), we can become very weary. That kind of waiting can weaken our hope and sap us of strength. Yet Scripture says,

They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

When we wait on the Lord, and our focus is on Him - not the outcome or answer or the circumstance or person - then our strength is renewed. David said, “My soul waits in silence for God alone.” (Psalm 62:1). Our faith is strengthened in the expanse of waiting. Waiting time is not wasted time. God uses that time to prepare us and to grow us.

Just as the seed is buried in the ground - time does its work in the process of germinating, rooting and sprouting while being nurtured by healthy soil, rain, and sunshine - so we are in our spaces of waiting. Suddenly the plant breaks through the darkness into the light to grow strong and produce a harvest. In the same way of trying to make a plant to grow faster, when we try to force solutions, we probably won't get the results that we seek. God always answers our prayers. May our eyes, ears and hearts be open to how and when He does and may we have the patience to trust Him for the outcome.

Prayer: Lord, I confess I don't like waiting. It's hard to wait when I want something so much. But then you already know that. Please help me to shift my focus onto you and off of what I am waiting on or waiting for. Help me to keep moving forward even while I am waiting on you. Guide me in all I do and help me to remember that waiting is the answer to some of my prayers. Thank you that you are good, kind, loving, and faithful and that your timing is always perfect. Amen.

In our featured Devotion, When Cultivating the Spiritual Fruit of Patience Feels Unattainable Hosanna Revival writer Shante Grossett O'Neal reminds us that if we want to become patient people, we need to cultivate it from a biblical, rather than a worldly, point of view. With biblical truth as our foundation for Christian living, we learn patience through the character of God and Christ, as well as through the examples of the people who came before us in the faith.

Healing is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself and for the people in your life.

"I wish we could have this conversation over a cup of coffee or mug of tea. ☕ I’d ask, “Have you ever been hurt by someone in your life?” If you said, “Yes, and it’s still hard,” I'd listen to your story. Then I’d share everything I wish someone had told me sooner on my healing journey. I’d tell you how I’ve learned three things the hard way…

Relationships can hurt sometimes.
Feeling stuck in the pain is optional.
Healing and moving forward are possible.

I’ve put all I've learned into a new online course. This course is the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever created. What’s in it took me from hurt, to healing, to becoming a healer God is using to help others. It will do the same for you!" - Holley Gerth

If you need this course, click here to learn more. If you don’t need this course, will you forward this Newsletter to the people in your life who might benefit from it?

10% of all proceeds from purchases support Compassion International to release children from poverty in Jesus name.

Connect - Follow - Share

Freedom to Flourish Blog | Instagram | Facebook

Here's to living your greatest life!

In Joy,

Jen Stone-Sexton, Founder, CCLC

Website: flourishchristiancoach.com

Equipping you to Flourish with Clarity, Confidence and Purpose

MORE FOR YOU: Have you had enough of feeling stuck? Check out these options to take your first step forward!

Free Discovery Session | Freedom in Boundaries Workshop | Courage, Risks & Rewards Coaching Program

If you wish to unsubscribe from the monthly Flourish Newsletter, simply reply and request "Please unsubscribe" and I will remove your name from the newsletter email list. Selecting "Unsubscribe" unsubscribes you from ALL email, including Courses, Coaching Packages and Workshops you may have purchased.