What are you waiting for?

It's interesting to go online and search how long the average person will spend waiting over the course of his or her life. Some people will tell you more than 45 minutes per day. Some studies will tell you more than seven years are spent waiting. Whatever answer you find, the fact of the matter is that humans spend quite a lot of time throughout life waiting.

When it comes to stop lights and ordering food, there is no choice but to wait. But what about the rest of life? Why do we wait to get up and actually make a move toward what we know we are supposed to do? It's human nature to be impatient and desire immediate results in life. So why do we wait to grab hold of the important things in life?

There are many situations where waiting is necessary. For instance, I love thinking about the future. There are many times when I wish that I could just press the fast forward button and skip ahead a moment or two in time, but then God reminds me that he has me exactly where he wants me. He tells me to wait on his timing. Lamentations 3:26 says that it "is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

There are other times, however, when waiting is the excuse. It is easy to say I am waiting for the perfect timing, or I am waiting until I know that I am ready. But that is not waiting. That is allowing fear to hold me back from taking a leap and living life to the fullest. It's easy to dream and make plans, but when it comes to setting aside the drawing board and actually going out to live the dream, it sometimes seems easier to say that the timing isn't quite right yet.

It can be difficult to break away from your comfort zone and take a step in the direction of something new and exciting. But isn't that the point? Life isn't supposed to be easy. If it were easy, then we would never learn anything. You don't become smarter by sitting around all day.

So what is stopping you from going out and doing what you know you're supposed to be doing? What fear is holding you back from completing God's purpose for your life? We spend so much of our time on earth waiting. Do not wait any longer to take a chance and break free of your fear.

No tomorrow

Life is full of what-ifs and desires to go back in time and change something or do something differently. They say hindsight is 20/20, and I believe it. Thoughts of, "If only I knew then what I know now, I would have acted completely differently" take up space in our minds and cause frustration and even guilt.

I have always said I want to live my life like there's no tomorrow. That I want to enter Christ's holy presence knowing that I accomplished everything I was supposed to accomplish, that I lived life to the fullest. I yearn to hear the words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant" and know that I ran the race and sprinted through the finish line.

Last month, one of my sisters in Christ from my hall entered Christ's holy presence because of a tragic hiking accident. Suddenly, I was faced with the realization that, while I would never admit it before, I thought of myself as invincible. I can honestly say I am not afraid of death, because I know it will lead to eternity in heaven. However, I never think about how I will die. I never think that it could be in 70 years or it could be tomorrow. I realized that I live my life as if I will never face death.

The first few days after the accident, I struggled with asking God if Faith's death was just an accident, or if he had meant for her to die. I knew that nothing surprises God and he can use anything for his glory, but did he really plan this? Or do some things in life just happen?

After days of struggling with this thought, God showed me that he indeed is in control of everything, and nothing is ever just an accident. Listening to the testimony of one of the girls who was with Faith that day, I realized how God will use anything to draw us to him and to make us realize that we were not created to rely fully on anyone or anything but him.

Once God snapped me back to the reality that there is no guarantee of how long he will keep me on this earth, I started thinking about everything I do during my day and how I live my life. He showed me that I have one reason for living - to glorify him through completing the purpose he has for my life. And who am I to decide when I have completed that purpose or when I need more time?

Faith taught me to take nothing for granted. To not be afraid to take every chance I have of showing Christ's love and telling others about the hope that I have. Because I plan on sprinting through the finish line.       

Ephesians 4:1

This verse encapsulates all of Ephesians chapter 4. I was reading it today, and it really hit me over the head with how I need to be living my life.

Ephesians 4:1 ~ "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."

Such a simple verse when read quickly, but once you focus on what Paul is encouraging us to do, it takes on a whole new meaning.

This month I have realized how important it is to live each day like it's my last. What do I do on a daily basis that is worthy of my calling? We were all put on this earth for a reason. God has a purpose for all of us. Are we living our lives for the enjoyment that we get out of it? Or are we doing everything we can - from homework to witnessing to friends - to glorify Christ and fulfill the calling he has for our lives?