In the Meantime

You finally did it.

You polished your proposal or refined your signature message, praying over every word. Now the fruit of your labor is in God’s hands, and the waiting anxiety begins. I know, because I have been there, felt the stress of desperately wanting acceptance into a ministry world that was slowly becoming part of my identity. 

Truth is, it has never been my identity, I just thought it was. And, with identity riding on the wings of acceptance—it’s fickle and a far cry from the foundation God has for us, as His.

A contract or attention from a meeting planner is not our answer. God leading us into His presence, one day at a time, is. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love or change His care for us. Book deals, stages, seeing the fruitfulness of ministry—none of it compares to what we already have—as people belonging to Him.  Living well as we wait, in the meantime, is hard. Yet, most of life is lived in the meantime place—between our prayers and God’s answers.

We live in a culture of instant everything. But, in our real lives there is rarely instant success or prayers answered on demand. Because of this, the meantime places in life can be messy and quite frankly feel “mean.” As those called to communicate a message of Hope, we need encouragement while waiting on God to move. For many, this can be one of the hardest parts of the journey. Once the proposal leaves your hands or the message leaves your lips, you’re no longer in control of the outcome. 

You might begin the overthinking cycle: 

Did I make sense?

Was the message received?

What if they hate it?

What if I never hear back?

What if my writing/speaking isn’t good enough?

The waiting room has a way of amplifying our fears.

But what if the waiting period isn’t simply a pause between action and answer? What if it’s a sacred part of the process? While you’re waiting, resist the temptation to look for affirmation or refresh your inbox every fifteen minutes. Instead of stressing out, keep moving forward. Start the next article, draft the next chapter, or develop the next message.  Do the next thing.

Waiting can become a place of growth as it reveals where we’ve attached our identity.  Are we only valuable when we receive praise, affirmation? The waiting period invites us to anchor ourselves in something deeper than applause or successes.

So keep showing up. Your calling is not on hold. The waiting room is not wasted space; it is shaping you, preparing you and humbling you. All things that are good for someone who wants to show up, giving God glory, for a long time.

Question:  What is the hardest part of “the meantime” for you? How do you handle the waiting periods and the space of time between your prayer and God’s answers?

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