The Journey of Waiting

Dreaming means waiting.

I didn’t understand that for a long time. I understood that dreaming meant hard work. I got that dreaming required dedication, and confidence, and perseverance.

But I didn’t see the beauty in the waiting.

I’ve had plenty of exposure to “dream come true” stories. I grew up in America, after all. Movies, books, media – all of culture told me that all my dreams would come true if I believed hard enough. Cinderella even sang a song about it – a song I had memorized when I was seven:

“A dream is a wish your heart makes,

When you’re fast asleep.

In dreams you will lose your heartache.

Whatever you wish for, you keep.

Have faith in your dreams and someday,

Your rainbow will come shining through.

No matter how your heart is grieving,

If you keep on believing,

The dreams that you wish will come true.”

I’m a dreamer by nature. I’m always on the lookout for the rainbow, because I can quite easily convince myself that my dreams are meant to be. When I was younger, and the world was my oyster, I assumed that any dream I had was God-breathed, and meant to be chased down. There is a fatal flaw in that thinking, because it puts God at my disposal.

I treated God like the Fairy Godmother, and the Bible like her magic wand. Bippity Boppity Boo! I found verses to support my dream, and called on God with my wishes. But dreams weren’t coming true, and with each disappointment, I felt a growing resentment building toward God.

I had to learn that waiting is the most active part of dreaming. <–Click to tweet

I dreamed of adopting a child. A noble dream, right? A righteous one, even. But so far it hasn’t happened for our family, and I’m not sure it ever will. I had to wrestle through that one with God until I finally came to the place of surrender. He is good because He is God. He doesn’t need to grant my wish, even the noble one, for me to call Him good.

The dream hasn’t subsided, but my attitude toward it has taken on a new shape. I continue to wait on God, watching for His answer to this dream in my heart. And in the waiting, I actively pursue ministering to the fatherless in other ways.

Because dreaming means waiting, and the journey of waiting is not a stagnant one.

Another life-long dream that pulsed through my heart was that of publishing a novel. For fifteen years, I studied and wrote, pursuing this dream until I had a finished manuscript in my hand. And I waited. And waited. For three long years, I pitched agents and publishers, and I heard the word “No” over and over.

And over.

But something beautiful happened in the waiting. I relinquished my own selfish longings for the book – those things I had convinced myself were dreams, were little more than selfish desires and ambitions. I let go of my desire to be a famous author, to make bestseller lists, or to see my name in lights. Instead, my prayers shifted.

“Lord, make Your Name known through my writing. Tell Your stories through me. Let it not be about me, and all about You.”

I needed to wait so that I could learn this lesson. Because waiting is active – it’s a verb. Waiting is as much of the journey toward the dream as the working and pursuing it is.

Even Cinderella had to wait. She didn’t know her prince would come for her. Her dream didn’t come true the day the Fairy Godmother arrived. She simply got a taste. Then it fell apart, and she had to wait to see if the vision would come to fruition.

Waiting is a part of your dream journey, friends. It’s the time when the Lord meets you and reminds you that He is God, and He is good, whether or not your dream comes true the way you envisioned it.

Waiting is where we learn to love Him for who He is, and nothing more. Waiting is where we let go of control, and relinquish all desires for our own glory. Because it’s all about Him. (<====Click to Tweet)Every dream pulses with potential, and it’s all to His glory.

So take heart in the journey, and hold loose to the dream. Let Him mold it into the shape that most glorifies Him – the Author and Perfector of every dream journey.

Shared By: Kelli Stuart

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