Wait And SeeSample

The Next Thing

It sounds exciting to “do the next thing” when that next thing is interesting. But if we can’t put the pieces of the puzzle together, we may scratch our head and wonder, How is this drawing me closer to the object of my wait? Instead, we should evaluate how the wait is drawing us closer to the Person of our faith.

Let’s be honest—if given the choice, we would all choose the shortest route to the object of our wait. Even though we know God wants to do a new thing, we prefer the fast track with the least resistance. But God, knowing our weaknesses and vulnerability, often chooses to lead us via a longer route so we can learn to trust Him more.

We hesitate to embrace the next thing and move forward. God knows that. Even as we’re surrendering, we vacillate with uncertainty. Can I really trust God? The what ifs become louder and louder. He knows our fears, doubts, and hesitations. He knows a longer route (aka, our next thing) will provide opportunities to experience Him and resolve our moving-forward issues. He uses our next thing to build a faith bank of trust.

My days of writing thank-you notes, coding bills, and caring for monthly givers ended almost twelve years after I accepted God’s invitation to move. Yes, my next thing lasted twelve years. Sorry if that rains on your parade. Some seasons of waiting last longer than others.

My cubicle days were rich in character building. As I immersed myself in the study of God’s Word, I fell more in love with God and less in love with me. Greater value was placed on bringing glory to His name rather than fame to mine. The truth of Philippians 2:3 took root deep in the once-rocky soil of my heart: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

My next thing taught me that my purpose is not to stand at center stage, but to support the One who stands at center stage. His plan is always about His book, not mine. The picture finally became abundantly clear to me: it’s only about God.