1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,600 When was the last time that you had to wait for something and 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:08,480 actually enjoyed the process? Welcome to Part 3 of What 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:10,200 happens when a woman listens to God? 4 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,600 Today we're talking about waiting and I recently had to 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,040 wait at the DMV. Who likes going there? 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,520 Nobody. I was waiting for about 4 1/2 7 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,480 almost 5 hours to get my real Idi. 8 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,880 Sat there fidgeting in my chair. I read a book I people watched 9 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,680 and honestly, I really couldn't even help but notice how many 10 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:31,920 parents parents were glued to their phones while their kids 11 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,680 sat nearby on devices too, or vied for their attention and 12 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,240 that no one was really even plugged into each other. 13 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,440 And it really made me sad and also kind of fascinated by human 14 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:43,920 behavior because that's kind of how I am, you know? 15 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,160 While I was waiting, I noticed those things. 16 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,160 I smiled at a few people, played with a few kids. 17 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:52,720 Peekaboo with a baby whose mom was obviously overwhelmed 18 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,760 because maybe she was there a little bit too long as well and 19 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,160 she was not waiting. Well, I kept glancing at that 20 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,560 screen on the side of the wall with the numbers on them, you 21 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,760 know, waiting for my number to be called. 22 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,720 And I began to get impatient after the about the first hour. 23 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:15,000 I was so over it, ready to go. And I thought I should be out of 24 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:16,600 here by now. This is nuts. 25 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,760 And just was waiting impatiently. 26 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,960 But the moment that buzzer went off and my number was called 27 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:24,920 over the loudspeaker, oh, I perked up right? 28 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,480 Like this is my moment. It's my turn. 29 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:30,880 So I walked over to the counter, totally ready to hand over all 30 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,000 my paperwork, and the lady at the desk took one look at my 31 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,520 documents and she said, looks like you're missing some things. 32 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,560 Excuse me, what? I had printed out the official 33 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:46,760 checklist and followed every step, but no, apparently I was 34 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:50,520 missing one really crucial piece of paperwork that wasn't even on 35 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:51,840 the list. What? 36 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:56,160 And I waited all this time only to be turned away, no ID, no 37 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,160 solution, and no clear next step. 38 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,520 I really didn't even know how I was going to get this document 39 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,200 that she said I needed. I was very disappointed and just 40 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,760 kind of assumed maybe I wasn't meant to fly. 41 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:09,800 Maybe I don't need to get my real ID after all. 42 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,720 And I just left very frustrated and and disappointed. 43 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,120 So have you ever had a moment like that but with God, you 44 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,960 know, you're doing all the things you know to do, You're 45 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,640 waiting, you're praying, you're following the quote UN quote 46 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:25,800 checklist as best as you can, and you really believe your 47 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:30,560 number is about to be called, only to find out it's not really 48 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,080 time yet? Or worse, it feels like you're 49 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,680 being sent back to the start with no clarity on what's 50 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,240 missing. So waiting seasons can feel a 51 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,400 lot like that. They're frustrating, confusing, 52 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,080 like maybe you missed it, right? But what if waiting isn't meant 53 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,360 to punish you? What if it's meant to prepare 54 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:52,160 you for what's next? And sometimes God's delays don't 55 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:53,840 really make sense to us until later on. 56 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,840 They feel really frustrating in that moment, but they may be 57 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,000 saving you from something that you can't even see. 58 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,040 So think about the last time that you got stuck in traffic. 59 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:05,880 You're sitting there, you're irritated because you're running 60 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,320 late and every single light seems to be watching for your 61 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,360 car so that it can turn red. Or if you're like me, you may 62 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,160 not be late, but you're just annoyed at the inconvenience of 63 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:15,880 having to even slow down and wait. 64 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:17,800 Like Walmart isn't going anywhere. 65 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,360 But jeez, why do I have to sit here like this? 66 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:22,520 Anyone else like that or is it just me? 67 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,200 There's been a lot of times when I'm sitting in traffic and start 68 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,960 feeling a little anxious too because I feel stuck. 69 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:31,960 I'm in this, you know, traffic jam, and I have no control over 70 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,320 the situation. And I just really want to know 71 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:36,520 what's happening up ahead. I want to know why am I stuck 72 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:37,880 here? Why can't I move? 73 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,680 But what if that delay kept you from being in the wrong place at 74 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,920 the wrong time? What if it was God's way of 75 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:48,000 protecting you from an accident that you never even saw come in? 76 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,200 You didn't see it. You didn't know for sure. 77 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,320 But that pause, that stop that you didn't want, that 78 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,040 inconvenience might have been God's grace. 79 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:00,360 And that's what God does. He slows us down, not so that he 80 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:02,600 can punish us, but to protect us. 81 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,120 And sometimes what looks like a set back isn't denial, it's just 82 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:08,560 a delay. It's actually him saying not 83 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,560 yet, because I'm still preparing something in you and maybe still 84 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:16,279 preparing something for you, but preparing something in you as 85 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:18,560 well. You know, He slows us down to 86 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,280 refine us, to prune the parts of us that aren't ready for the 87 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:26,320 next season yet, to strengthen areas of our lives that need to 88 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,520 grow. And God really taught me this 89 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:32,000 lesson through my banana trees this summer. 90 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,800 Actually, a couple years ago, we bought 3 banana trees from a 91 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:38,440 lady's backyard. We were sprucing up the naked 92 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,240 side of our house where there really wasn't any landscaping. 93 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:43,880 It was just really boring. And we didn't have any idea at 94 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:47,080 the time that these were really intrusive and that by the third 95 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,960 year, which was this past spring, that we were going to 96 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:51,160 have 30 of them. Yeah. 97 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:52,320 Lesson learned. I didn't know. 98 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,240 So this spring, we ended up digging up several of them, put 99 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:56,920 some in buckets, tried to sell some. 100 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,320 And my little guy, who's 6 at the time, he decided he wanted 101 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:05,080 to move one of the smaller trees to the center of a spot near our 102 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:06,960 garden where we used to grow potatoes. 103 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:09,560 And we don't grow that anymore. It's just an open area that we 104 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:11,480 didn't plan to use again. So, hey, why not? 105 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:14,840 It was like his little project. But two months later, I noticed 106 00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:17,880 that all the trees against the house that hadn't been uprooted 107 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,600 and moved, we're growing. They were growing really tall 108 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:25,320 really fast because every spring we cut those trees down to be 109 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:27,360 nubs. And then we cover them up or 110 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,760 every fall, I mean, not spring before the winter, right? 111 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,960 We cut them all down and cover them up so that during the 112 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:36,240 frost, it doesn't kill them. Because where we live, you know, 113 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,960 in the Midwest, it still gets, you know, frosty and sometimes 114 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,800 even snows occasionally here in Tennessee. 115 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,040 So we do that to protect the trees. 116 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:48,280 But each spring when they regrow back, Oh my goodness, they start 117 00:05:48,280 --> 00:05:50,720 just going crazy. And they grow really fast and 118 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,120 really tall. But you know, within just a 119 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,880 little while, some of those banana trees had even hit like 7 120 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,120 or 8 feet tall. I mean, they were just growing 121 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:00,840 and growing by the end of the season. 122 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:04,160 Here we are now in August when I'm recording this and the trees 123 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,600 are like up to the top of my roof. 124 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:09,120 I have a two-story house. So they just continue to grow 125 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:11,600 and then we cut them down and then they grow back the next 126 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,200 year. So the ones that we had not 127 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:18,240 uprooted and did anything with, we're growing crazy and then 128 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,600 multiplying even they just continue to multiply. 129 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:22,840 Even though we sold a bunch, we still have way too many. 130 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,560 But the one that we moved to the center of that old potato patch 131 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:28,800 by itself, it had not even grown an inch. 132 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:31,520 I mean it hadn't even moved. It looked exactly the same as 133 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:33,280 when we transplanted it over there. 134 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:36,080 It was like 3 feet tall, maybe 2 1/2 feet tall. 135 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:39,600 So I asked the Holy Spirit why and I heard this in my spirit. 136 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,120 He said because when you uprooted it, it had to re 137 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,600 establish the root system so that all the work is being done 138 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:49,080 right now underground before you see growth up top. 139 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,440 And when I heard that, I realized, and I understood in 140 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:56,400 that moment, if it had started to grow above the ground too 141 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:00,240 quickly before waiting to establish its roots deep and 142 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,960 then wide because we had dug it U and planted it somewhere else. 143 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:07,200 If it would have been growing U top first, it would have ended 144 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:10,280 up being too weak and could have died from the lack of nutrients 145 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:14,200 without a proper root system or even fallen over because it was 146 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:18,760 too heavy and out of balance. So this is a prime example also 147 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:24,120 of our need to wait and allow things in our lives to grow the 148 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:28,600 roots deep down so that we have that unshakable faith. 149 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:32,000 If we only had surface level trust before, like when things 150 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,440 are easy or good in our life, we're going to fall like a tree 151 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,360 without those solid roots when things get heavy or when things 152 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,000 get hard. So waiting is a good thing if 153 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:46,040 you are being established, if you are being strengthened in 154 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,440 areas of your life that need to grow. 155 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:51,400 If there are parts of us that aren't ready for the next 156 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:53,320 season, it may be too heavy for us. 157 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,920 So waiting isn't always fun. Waiting is a lot of times 158 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:02,040 incredibly frustrating and we want to know why, not me, why 159 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,000 not now? And we may never know the 160 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:09,560 answers to those things, but if we can rest in the knowing that 161 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:13,920 God works all things for our good and his glory, then we can 162 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,760 know that it is also in his perfect timing. 163 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,960 Because his timing is not our timing that things are going to 164 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:22,720 happen in our life. As long as we know we're doing 165 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:26,400 what we can and we know to do, which is spending time with Him 166 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,320 and allowing him to change us, transform us. 167 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:34,120 And that starts by, like Romans 12/2 says, the renewing of our 168 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:38,120 mind so that we can become the type of person who's ready for 169 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:42,280 the next assignment, who's ready for the growth to occur on the 170 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:44,280 outside. I remember a friend telling me 171 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,880 one time when I was going through a season of waiting and 172 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:49,200 I wasn't waiting well, and I was frustrated. 173 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:54,280 She reminded me that a seed in the ground sprouting before it's 174 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:57,360 time is likely to die. So for instance, if it's a 175 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:01,880 flower and the flower seed sprouts that beautiful flower 176 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:05,360 and it's meant to bring people joy and be beautiful and smell 177 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:09,240 good and bring life, right? If it brings life before life is 178 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:12,320 meant to be brought to the surface, the surface conditions 179 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:15,440 will kill it. So if it brings forth life and 180 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,400 it's freezing cold outside and there's a frost, it's going to 181 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,000 kill it. So if we sprout, so to speak, 182 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,720 before our time, it could wreck us. 183 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,440 And somebody said to me today while I was doing a podcast 184 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,960 interview, I'm going to be sharing here on the podcast 185 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:30,560 soon. Her name is Shannon. 186 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:35,120 She was talking about having to wait for a dream to come to 187 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:37,480 fruition. Just really struck a huge chord 188 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:40,720 in me. She said God showed me how my 189 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:43,920 failure wasn't failure, it was just a waiting period. 190 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:48,680 So our set back is not always a bad thing because she said that 191 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:51,240 way your breakthrough doesn't break you. 192 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,880 I thought that was so good because we all want our 193 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:55,960 breakthrough. We're all saying I want it right 194 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,480 now, give it to me. But what if it would break you? 195 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:02,840 What if it's not time and you're trying to take on something that 196 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:07,480 you haven't built a foundation for yet to be able to handle the 197 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,440 thing that you're actually asking for? 198 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:12,000 So waiting actually strengthens us. 199 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,280 It doesn't shelf us, right? We're not being put on the 200 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:15,840 shelf. We're not forgotten. 201 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,000 God doesn't just like stick us up somewhere and say, you know, 202 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,520 just hang out here and and I might be back. 203 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,840 Waiting is often where God builds strength in us, not where 204 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,160 he hides us. And if we if he is hiding us 205 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:30,480 anywhere, it's hiding us within himself. 206 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,680 It's hiding us for such a time as this, whenever that this is 207 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:37,720 OK. And I love, love, love that 208 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:43,640 reminder that I am being sheltered and hidden to protect 209 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:45,840 me. And in the right season and in 210 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:48,560 the right time, I will be exposed. 211 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:53,560 But if I'm exposed before time, then it will not be good for me, 212 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,120 right? Like, So last week, I was 213 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,240 sharing about a story of a friend who was seeking 214 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:02,680 discernment and she had been given this amazing opportunity 215 00:11:02,680 --> 00:11:07,400 to go speak somewhere and said no because she concerned and 216 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,080 listened to the voice of God to say, this isn't the door that I 217 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,120 have for you, even though it looked so good. 218 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,960 And what we recognized later on was if she had walked through 219 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:17,480 that door, it would have crushed her and it would not have been a 220 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:20,640 good thing for her. But what God had for her was so 221 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:23,320 much lighter. It was not going to be heavy or 222 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,920 too much for her to handle. And it was exactly what she was 223 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:30,280 supposed to be doing and not what she felt everybody else 224 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:33,400 thought she should be doing just because it looked like a really, 225 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:36,160 you know, good plan. So just like that banana tree 226 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,960 analogy that I told you about, this is a picture of hidden 227 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:41,440 growth. So even though there's no 228 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:44,760 movement above the ground, it doesn't mean that nothing's 229 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:47,680 happening beneath it. Because if you grow too fast 230 00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:50,000 without the depth, you'll collapse under the weight of the 231 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:51,280 promise. So if you're waiting on a 232 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,040 promise and you're like, God, I know you said this. 233 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,360 I know you gave this to me. I know you put this vision or 234 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,240 this dream in my heart or this desire in my heart. 235 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:02,560 Then rest in the fact that you know God is going to take care 236 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:05,680 of you while you're waiting so that you don't collapse under 237 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:09,440 the weight of that promise. And those underground seasons 238 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:13,680 are often the seasons that cause root building in our life, 239 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:18,320 character, emotional stability, that really unshakable faith so 240 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:20,440 that we're not easily pushed over. 241 00:12:20,680 --> 00:12:23,080 You're not being delayed to disappoint you. 242 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:25,560 You're being developed so that you can carry what's coming. 243 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:28,520 And just remember that when you are starting to feel very 244 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:32,040 frustrated about having to sit in the DMV for four or five 245 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:35,000 hours, because let me tell you something, I did sit there 246 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,240 forever and I did walk away, he handed. 247 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,800 Even though I thought I was going there with all the 248 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,760 paperwork and I had prepared all the things, what ended up 249 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,360 happening was because I was adopted when I was a baby, I was 250 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:48,600 three years old and I was adopted by my stepdad, they 251 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:53,240 could not connect the pieces of my last name on one record to 252 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,040 another. And so for a week I labored over 253 00:12:56,040 --> 00:13:00,560 how am I going to prove that this is my last name from birth? 254 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:03,760 How am I going to do this? And in that waiting over the 255 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:07,240 course of a week or week and 1/2 or so, I just prayed and I was 256 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:08,360 like, God, I don't know what to do. 257 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:11,040 My mom is with you. I can't ask her. 258 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,560 She's not here on this earth. I can't ask her if she had my 259 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:16,720 original birth certificate Now I wasn't adopted by my mom. 260 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:18,880 I was she would have had my original birth certificate. 261 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:21,280 And I thought, what do I do? I really just don't know. 262 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:26,080 And then suddenly the other day I had this moment of remembrance 263 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:30,080 where I was like, OK, my mom, she actually created a baby book 264 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:31,920 for me. And I had forgotten about that. 265 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:35,600 And I went to searching for the baby book and I thought maybe 266 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,760 she had put it in there. Now, my mom had eight kids, and 267 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:41,080 out of all eight kids, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one 268 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:44,480 that she kept a baby book for because I'm the only one that 269 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:46,880 has one. And it's pretty torn and 270 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:48,040 tattered. It's really old. 271 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:51,600 But I remembered that I had it, so I went to it and I thought 272 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,640 maybe, just maybe, I don't know, right? 273 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,800 But we'll see. And in the waiting, I didn't 274 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:58,160 labor. I didn't fret. 275 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:00,520 I just prayed. And I said, Lord, I don't know 276 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:02,160 what to do. Maybe this means I'm not 277 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:03,880 supposed to fly. I don't know. 278 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:06,480 Because, you know, now we have to have our real ID in order to 279 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:09,120 get on a plane. But it turns out I am meant to 280 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:14,400 fly because I opened that baby book and there in the very front 281 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:18,720 fold of the cover was a folder with very important documents. 282 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:22,440 And one of those documents was my original birth certificate, 283 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:26,160 the one I needed to prove that my last name was at one point 284 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:29,400 that last name. And I was so thankful because it 285 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:32,760 would have been such a hassle to go through calling the state of 286 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,800 Texas and doing all these crazy things to try and find my 287 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,440 original, original birth certificate before it was 288 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:40,960 changed when I was 3. And as I was going through those 289 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,080 documents and paperwork that are in my baby book, I had such a 290 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:46,640 beautiful moment. I spent about an hour just 291 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,160 reading through all the things that my mother had written for 292 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,080 me. And I just had the most precious 293 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:55,880 time of thinking about her and thanking her and having this 294 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:59,040 moment also of revelation of what a thankless job being a 295 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:03,280 mother really, truly is and how it's OK that I'm in the season 296 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:05,240 myself. It was like her encouraging me 297 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:09,840 from the grave that I'm in the season of feeling like very 298 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:13,680 thankless work is being done as a mother, not just for my 6 year 299 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:16,600 old because he's 6, obviously. And he does thank me. 300 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:19,240 He's so sweet. But you know, the things we do 301 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,680 to keep them alive when they're infants and then when they get, 302 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,600 you know, to be 22, then they don't talk you anymore for a 303 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:26,880 year. You think, gosh, you know, this 304 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:31,000 is such a thankless job. And I'm very thankful in that 305 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:34,800 moment that I had to wait because it brought me to this 306 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:39,360 place of gratitude and remembrance of all my mom 307 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,520 actually did for me to help me. And she was still helping me 308 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:45,120 even beyond the grave. And this was just such a God 309 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:47,400 kiss from her. Even though there was a lot of 310 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,800 pain and turmoil growing up and things I didn't feel like I was 311 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:54,960 being cared for or looked after, there were things that she did 312 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,800 and she did her best, you know, she really truly did. 313 00:15:57,800 --> 00:15:59,560 And I was reminded of that as well. 314 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:03,480 So I'm thankful for the waiting and what it developed in me in 315 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:06,120 just that week. And 1/2 was continuing to 316 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,600 develop the muscle of trust, trusting that God has it all 317 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,080 worked out. And if it's meant to be, it will 318 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,240 be. There was a phrase that I was 319 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,840 taught when I was 20 years old at a leadership conference that 320 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:20,560 said if it is to be, it's up to me. 321 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:22,720 And I believe that for a really long time. 322 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:27,160 And the truth of the matter is, if it is to be, it will be. 323 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:30,240 Just trust God like it is to be. It's not up to me. 324 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,640 I don't have to make everything happen. 325 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:37,040 I can just release it, walk around with peace instead of 326 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:40,000 like panic and say, OK, God, you got this. 327 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,280 And I know that you're going to work it all out for my good. 328 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:45,240 If I'm meant to fly, if I'm meant to have my real ID, then 329 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,240 you're going to figure this out and you're going to show me what 330 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:50,880 to do next. And it was just developing that 331 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:54,240 muscle. So waiting builds a deeper 332 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:58,000 intimacy with God. The quiet of waiting makes space 333 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,480 for closeness with the Lord, if we'll allow it to, because we 334 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:05,119 have a choice in how we wait. Like, I started this whole thing 335 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:11,200 and I love when I'm feeling super confused or just annoyed 336 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:14,560 at whatever's not happening as fast as I want it to or 337 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:18,000 whatever's going on in my life. I love sitting and journaling, 338 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,520 being quiet and still. I sit on my back porch. 339 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:23,640 I have this beautiful swing out there that I absolutely adore. 340 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,920 Or just sitting on and looking at the trees, or I take walks, 341 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,120 but a lot of times I just sit in silence or a journal. 342 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,840 Read the scripture and not for answers. 343 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:35,840 I don't just read the Bible for answers. 344 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,080 I actually never read the Bible for answers. 345 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:42,240 I always read it just to know more about God and to feel like 346 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,760 closer to Him and be in His presence. 347 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,520 But there are answers in scripture, obviously big time. 348 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:54,320 But I do read scripture for His presence and that brings me such 349 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:58,280 beautiful intimacy with Him. I can think I can wait 350 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:01,320 patiently. I can flex that trust muscle, 351 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:03,480 right? You know, you learn to recognize 352 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,280 his voice when everything else is quiet, when you're not 353 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:08,760 fretting, when you're not researching everything that you 354 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,320 can possibly think to do about everything that you could 355 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:14,160 possibly do. And you know, we want answers. 356 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,400 We do, we want to know what do I have to do and how do I have to 357 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,080 do it? And how can I make this happen 358 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:23,600 faster, especially in the hustle culture that we live in today or 359 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:27,080 in the microwave society, as some people call it, even in our 360 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:29,320 weight loss, right? We talk about this in a lot of 361 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:32,960 areas, but let's even equate it to our health, not even our just 362 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,200 our weight. I mean, our Wellness in general. 363 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:37,160 But a lot of people are like this with weight loss. 364 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,240 So I'm going to use this example where we get to this point in 365 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,200 our life where we're like, OK, I want to lose 20 lbs, for 366 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:44,800 instance. And you think that you should be 367 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:48,640 able to lose it in, you know, two weeks because sister Sally 368 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:52,480 on Facebook or Instagram said she did and you think you should 369 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:54,720 too. And The thing is like, maybe she 370 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,040 did, right? Maybe she definitely did, but 371 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:58,600 she probably didn't do it in a healthy way. 372 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,720 To lose 10 lbs, you know, in in a week for two weeks in a row is 373 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,520 definitely not a healthy, sustainable weight loss, you 374 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:06,560 know, program or protocol at all, right? 375 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:09,600 So you're thinking, well, gosh, because she did it, I should be 376 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:12,400 able to do it too. Instead of saying, well, I, you 377 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:15,360 know, gained this 20 lbs over the course of the last three 378 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:18,120 years, but I expect to get it off in 2 weeks. 379 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:23,200 No, when we do things patiently and we do things in order, the 380 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,760 results are lasting. And that waiting to get to the 381 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,840 end result goal of losing the 20 lbs, for instance, develops 382 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:35,520 within us a new identity, a new way of living, new habits, a new 383 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:39,520 lifestyle, new thoughts. So if we do it very quickly, we 384 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:42,120 haven't had time to change anything about who we are or 385 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:44,560 what we think. Our identity, what you know, our 386 00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:47,520 habits are we're just doing something for a short period of 387 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:49,360 time called behavior modification. 388 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:53,360 The waiting is where transformation occurs, develops 389 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:56,440 in that waiting. So waiting is so good, even 390 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:59,160 though we don't like it, we definitely don't. 391 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,680 But in the waiting you just begin to get to know him, OK, 392 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:07,040 not just the promises he has for your life, but who he is and who 393 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:09,760 he says you are at such a deeper level. 394 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:13,480 You shift from seeking the outcome like I really want this 395 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:16,920 thing to surrendering to the process and when you surrender 396 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:20,640 to the process that. Is a beautiful, beautiful thing 397 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:24,680 because it gives you that space to develop because that's where 398 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,120 the change occurs, is in the process. 399 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:30,400 It's not in looking at the outcome and then only looking at 400 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:32,680 the outcome. So you can have an end goal in 401 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:34,880 mind, and that's absolutely necessary. 402 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,640 You need to know where you're going in order to go there. 403 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,800 You need to have an end in mind. But if you only focus on the end 404 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,520 in mind, then you're going to drive off of the side of the 405 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,560 road, right? If you put in my address into 406 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,960 your GPS and you live all the way, you know, in California and 407 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:53,840 you want to drive to my house in Tennessee, and you decide, well, 408 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:56,600 I'm going to put in Catherine's address and then I'm going to 409 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:01,440 only look at my GPS at the ending point where I'm going to 410 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,840 be going, you're going to get lost or run off the road, right? 411 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:07,040 No, you have to take one step at a time, one Rd. at a time, 1 412 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,160 town at a time, 1 gas station at a time. 413 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,720 It's the process. And the same is true in every 414 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,400 area, whether it's your career, whether it's in relationships 415 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,120 that are seemingly derailed and you're like, when is this ever 416 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:20,720 going to get better? Whether it's in the waiting for 417 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:25,200 something to come to fruition in your health, a healing maybe, or 418 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,840 a ministry that you've deeply desire to start, or a book that 419 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,880 you want to write but you're just unsure where to start, or 420 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:34,160 whatever it is that you're waiting on. 421 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:39,840 If you wait, focusing on the process versus the outcome, then 422 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:43,200 you'll have one step at a time and you'll eventually get to 423 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:46,840 where you want to go. So faithfulness in the waiting 424 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:49,720 brings the reward, brings the outcome. 425 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:54,520 So we want to talk about Hebrews 111 and Hebrews 1132 through 35 426 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,720 because this is faith when it doesn't really make sense. 427 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:03,400 So Hebrew 11/1 says now faith is confidence in what we hope for 428 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:05,800 and assurance about what we don't see. 429 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:09,920 And I love this so much because we have to have faith in our in 430 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:12,880 our Christian walk. We have to have faith in the 431 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:15,720 fact that Jesus truly is the Son of God. 432 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,400 He died on the cross for our sins, that he paid the price for 433 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:23,920 us and he ultimately loves us. And we have all authority now 434 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:27,640 has been given to us and that we have the power to heal just like 435 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:30,400 he did because he granted that to us that we can make 436 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:32,720 disciples, that we can cast out demons. 437 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,640 So faith is confidence in what we hope for. 438 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:39,240 Like I am hoping this is going to happen. 439 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,640 So I'm going to wait in faith and assurance about what we 440 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,360 don't see. So I'm assured that because I 441 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:48,360 didn't see Jesus doing the miracles that he did doesn't 442 00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:51,440 mean that they didn't get done or that I can't do them too. 443 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:55,280 That I read what he says is true and I can do the same thing. 444 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:57,920 So faith isn't just about seeing the outcome. 445 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:00,560 It's not just about seeing. You're blessed because you 446 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,760 believe and yet you don't see. So when we don't see it with our 447 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:07,520 real physical eyes and yet we still have faith, we walk in a 448 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:09,760 level of hope. It's not about seeing an 449 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:11,240 outcome. It's about holding on to what 450 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:15,480 God said and believing it even when everything else feels 451 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:17,880 silent. Even if you don't see things 452 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,280 starting to work in the way that you want them to. 453 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:23,880 Believing that what he says is true and walking in that. 454 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:28,320 And Hebrews 1132 through 35 says And what more shall I say? 455 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,760 I don't have time to tell you about Gideon, Barack, Samson, 456 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:36,360 David, Samuel, and all the prophets who through faith 457 00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:40,400 conquered kingdoms, quenched the three of the flames and escape 458 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:42,920 the edge of the sword. Women receive back their dead, 459 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,480 raised to life again. This passage highlights reward 460 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:48,280 on the other side of waiting and obedience. 461 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:52,000 He's saying there's so many people just like us, ordinary 462 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,480 but faithful. I don't even have time to remind 463 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:57,480 you of who all they are is what he was saying, and God honored 464 00:23:57,480 --> 00:23:59,280 it. He didn't need perfection from 465 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,640 all these people. I would challenge you to go to 466 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:04,080 the Bible and find anybody that's even remotely close to 467 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:07,520 perfect aside from Jesus. He was just looking for 468 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:10,320 endurance people who who were willing to endure. 469 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:13,040 And a little bit goes a long way with God. 470 00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:16,800 And in Romans 837, we're reminded that we are more than 471 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,280 conquerors through him who loved us. 472 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:21,720 So you may feel like you're losing ground. 473 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:23,920 You may feel like nothing's working. 474 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,320 But God, he already sees you as victorious. 475 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,120 He already sees the end from the beginning. 476 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:32,040 And if you view your waiting as more than just getting by, if 477 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:35,680 you view your waiting as you're more than a conqueror, even in 478 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:39,680 the waiting, you end up waiting a whole a lot differently 479 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,960 because you are more than a conqueror through him who loved 480 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:45,000 us. And you are going to conquer 481 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:47,400 this, whatever it is you're waiting for. 482 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:51,040 And it's going to happen if God said he was going to do it, he 483 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:54,800 is going to see you through it. Like Joshua, he had to wait for 484 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,680 40 years to enter into the promised land. 485 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,360 And Joshua was the one that was able to take everybody into the 486 00:25:00,360 --> 00:25:02,320 promised land. Even though Moses wasn't allowed 487 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:05,920 to go into the promised land, Joshua, he was the one that took 488 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:09,800 up all these men to, you know, to see the the land of milk and 489 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,760 honey, right, to see their promised land. 490 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:15,160 And then came back with the report where all of these other 491 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,200 guys that went with him said, you know, we're like 492 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:20,040 grasshoppers in our own eyes. We can't take on, you know, 493 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:23,520 these big giants and do what God says that we can do because he's 494 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,000 with us. They doubted, they had unbelief 495 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,960 and they said, no way. I remember reading where Joshua 496 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,520 said, hey, we can do this. Like we got this. 497 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,840 But then later it took him still a long time before he saw that 498 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:37,600 promise come to fruition. And they actually were able to 499 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,360 take the promised land and conquer it. 500 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:44,640 So God honors faith that doesn't give up even when the path is 501 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:47,320 unclear. And this is so good even when 502 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:50,600 you don't know your next step and you're thinking, gosh, I 503 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:54,280 really just want to do this thing, but I don't know how. 504 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:58,040 Listen, just take the next step, one step into the darkness. 505 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:01,240 Have faith that when you step even into the darkness, that God 506 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:05,800 is going to set before you the stepping stone for in your path 507 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:07,960 and light the way for that very next moment. 508 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,680 I remember I wrote a section about this in my book where I 509 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,600 was talking about how I stayed stuck in a very, very bad 510 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,480 situation in my life for a way longer than I should have 511 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,560 because I didn't know how it was going to end. 512 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:21,840 I didn't know the end from the beginning or the outcome. 513 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,720 So because I was so outcome focused, I wouldn't even take 514 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,760 the first step to my freedom. And that and that happens in our 515 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:29,480 health. That happens in, you know, 516 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:32,120 starting a business or a ministry or a nonprofit, 517 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:34,800 whatever it is. We don't know how to take the 518 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,000 next step because it feels so overwhelming. 519 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:38,720 We don't know the end from the beginning. 520 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:41,400 So we don't move at all. And that was me. 521 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:44,560 And it took me a while to get to the point where it was like, 522 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:49,000 well, I have no choice but to take a step and really just hope 523 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,200 that I don't fall. So I can't even say that I did 524 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:54,480 it really with faith. It was more or less like I'm 525 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:57,240 going to have to do this right. And I and if God doesn't show 526 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,880 up, then I guess I'm just going to fall because I don't have any 527 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:01,840 other choice. So I just did it. 528 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:05,280 And you know, I didn't know the next step from the first step 529 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:08,120 that I took. I didn't know 5 steps later, but 530 00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:11,280 I was this person who really wanted to know the end from the 531 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:12,880 beginning. But that's not how God works. 532 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:14,760 He only gives us one step at a time. 533 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:19,200 He only gives us what we are to do right now, our next best step 534 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:22,600 or the next step for our process, whatever that process 535 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:24,600 is. For me it was getting safe in 536 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,200 that season and then again later on. 537 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,000 You know, it was the next step in my health journey. 538 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:33,520 How am I supposed to stop, you know, dieting all the time God 539 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:35,320 and actually lose weight? What am I going to do? 540 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,920 Because I know that you said dieting isn't from you. 541 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:43,160 So what do I do? How do I just rest and still be 542 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:46,440 able to lose weight without fretting and worrying and trying 543 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:48,640 every program out there? What am I supposed to do? 544 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,480 And I took the next step I heard, and that was all that I 545 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:53,000 did. And I waited. 546 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,320 And he gave me the next step. And in faith, I took every step 547 00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:00,440 into the unknown. I mean, really, truly into the 548 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:02,080 unknown. And I, like I said, I wrote 549 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:04,960 about this in my book, and it's a lot more clearer in there than 550 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:08,480 I'm making it right here. But walking into the jungle that 551 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:12,640 has never been paved, you're paving a way that nobody's ever 552 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:14,720 walked before in your life, right? 553 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:16,360 Like you're the only one that's ever lived your life. 554 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:18,840 So you're paving the way in whatever it is that you're 555 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:22,880 trying to do for the first time. And it looks like you're trying 556 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:25,560 to get through a jungle with a pair of like kindergarten 557 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,040 scissors. And it's tough and you don't 558 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:31,040 know which way to go and you don't know if the next step is 559 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:33,920 going to lead you off the edge of a Cliff because it's so dense 560 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:36,560 you can't even see in the middle of the forest or the jungle that 561 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:39,360 you're in. That's where coming to this 562 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,960 place of listening for the voice of the Father and recognizing 563 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:47,400 the Holy Spirit speaking, saying go left, stop, wait, go right, 564 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,640 take three steps forward. You know whatever it is because 565 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:53,800 you can't see what's coming, but he can he. 566 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:57,880 He can see the whole thing like having a map to how to get 567 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,000 through the minefield, right? Like how to get through a 568 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,680 minefield and without blowing your legs off, you can rely on 569 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:07,440 him to give you the next step. So even when your path is 570 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:11,360 unclear, you just have faith. Take the next step and he will 571 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:15,280 provide the following step. So what promise have you laid 572 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:16,520 down? Because it felt like, like it 573 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,640 was just taking too long. Like God, I, I just, I'm tired 574 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:21,600 of waiting on you. I want you to just consider that 575 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:26,040 today and maybe even revisit it because God's timing is never 576 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,160 random. And even if we miss it, he 577 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:30,000 doesn't. So there's redemption, there's 578 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,160 grace, and He's never late. He is never late. 579 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:35,760 He is just aligning things in our life. 580 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:38,800 He's aligning us. He's aligning situations, He's 581 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:42,560 aligning things that we need and we don't even know we need. 582 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:47,360 You know, Proverbs 1921 says many are the plans in a man's 583 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:49,960 heart, but the Lord's purpose prevails. 584 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:52,200 So we can have all the plans that we want to have in the 585 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:56,640 whole entire universe, but the Lord's purpose for our life is 586 00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,360 what is going to prevail. And even I think in the New 587 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:01,520 Testament, there's a verse, I can't remember where it's at in 588 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:04,520 the Bible, but my husband likes to talk about this verse a lot, 589 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:09,640 you know, of a man that makes his plans for tomorrow and says 590 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,040 like tomorrow, we're going to go here and there and everywhere is 591 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:16,400 prideful. So we need to be careful about 592 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,640 making our own plans and saying this is just what I'm going to 593 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:23,280 do without seeking the Lord because it we could be 594 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:26,640 completely running down the wrong path, running down a path 595 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:30,120 that's a total dead end. Like my friend who got the 596 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:33,520 speaking engagement that looked amazing and she stopped and took 597 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:37,080 that time to listen to the Lord and he said, no, this is not for 598 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:38,480 you. So if you haven't heard the 599 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:41,760 discernment episode that I did last week, just go ahead and go 600 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:43,600 back and listen to that. Then you'll understand what I'm 601 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:47,400 talking about and how to really discern in your life what's for 602 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:50,560 you, what's not for you, what you need to lay down, what you 603 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,840 need to say yes to, what you need to say no to, and how to 604 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:56,040 say. Set boundaries even, and allow 605 00:30:56,040 --> 00:31:00,960 yourself the space in your life to just be without filling it 606 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,320 with anything. Without listening to one more 607 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:06,440 podcast episode, without watching another YouTube video, 608 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,680 without scrolling one more second of social media or 609 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:12,160 whatever it is you're doing. Whether it's even good, like 610 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:16,200 volunteering and showing up and trying to be all for all, you 611 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:18,800 know, just taking that time to make some white space. 612 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:22,680 Like where can you cut some things out and make space for 613 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,720 you to just be and to actually hear from him? 614 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:29,680 So he's not just preparing those promises that he has for you. 615 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:33,320 He's preparing you for the promise that he has. 616 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:35,680 And I really want to encourage you with that today. 617 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:38,840 If you are in a season of waiting and you are also not 618 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:42,120 waiting well and you're frustrated, maybe disappointed, 619 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:46,000 maybe at this point even of giving up, saying I guess I'm 620 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,720 just not supposed to have that thing, or I'm just not cut out 621 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:51,960 for this, or I'm just never going to have the weight loss or 622 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,400 the better health that I hoped, or maybe my healing feeling was 623 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:56,520 never going to come. When you start agreeing with 624 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,720 those lies, you're in a dangerous place. 625 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:02,160 So while you're waiting, wait well because he's preparing 626 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:04,560 something for you. So when a woman listens to God, 627 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,240 she can wait well. And I just want to take a moment 628 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:13,200 today to pray over you. God, you know how hard it is for 629 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:15,000 us to wait. You see the places where we've 630 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,440 grown tired and frustrated or even tempted to give up on 631 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:22,160 things that you've promised us. But today, we choose to trust 632 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:25,240 your timing. Thank you for the reminder that 633 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,600 delay isn't denial. Thank you that your timing is 634 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,680 perfect and your purpose always prevails. 635 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:35,200 So help us to stay faithful, just like Caleb, ready to step 636 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:37,360 into the promise when you say it's time. 637 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:40,040 Grow our roots deep in the season, Lord. 638 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:44,000 Strengthen us where we're weak. Teach us to wait with hope and 639 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:47,120 not just patience. And when the day comes that our 640 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:51,000 number is called, help us to walk into it with courage, peace 641 00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:55,040 and joy knowing that it's exactly what you've prepared for 642 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:58,680 us for such a time as this. We trust you in the wait, Lord 643 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:03,040 in Jesus name, Amen. Friend, if this episode spoke to 644 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,440 you today, I would just love it if you would take just a second 645 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:09,960 and leave me a rating and a quick review on the show. 646 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:13,800 And then just share it with a friend who you know, needs to be 647 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:16,560 encouraged in her waiting season as well. 648 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:19,360 And I'm so thankful that you chose to spend some time with me 649 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:21,440 today. And I want to invite you to come 650 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:23,200 back next week. Or we're going to be talking 651 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:27,160 about the topic of forgiveness so that we can be freed to lead 652 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:30,520 the lives that God intended us to lead, whole, heeled and 653 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:33,720 healthy from the inside out. And while you're waiting, I'd 654 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,240 love to invite you to go check out all the resources that I 655 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,520 have available on my website. You can go to catherinemay.com. 656 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:41,120 All the links are in the show notes. 657 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:43,920 I've created a ton of resources that are available for you. 658 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:45,600 So just go check that out and we'll see. 659 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:47,160 See you here on the next one.