My
whole life, I've been waiting. Waiting to become an adult, waiting to
graduate high school, waiting to leave home, waiting on someone else,
waiting for my life to begin, waiting to change the world.
A
piece of advice from someone who's tired of it; Stop waiting.
Here's
the thing about the real world; its not going to wait for you. The
world will keep on turning, injustice will keep on happening, God
will keep on calling your name, but here we sit, waiting for the
flashing neon sign telling us that its time. But now is the
time. You don't have to start building an orphanage in some third
world country in order to start changing the world; you don't have to
worry about changing the whole world all at once. That feat is both
daunting and impossible. But you can change other people's worlds. It
doesn't even have to be anything that you perceive as big; giving the
homeless man on the end of your street a hot meal, helping an old
lady with her groceries, making finger puppets to send to an
orphanage in India, living your life as you are supposed to live it
and glorifying God. So why wait? Start now.
“I
have no experience,” “What can I do?”
These
are thoughts that I've had at more than a few times during the course
of my life. But then I realized something; there is something that
God put in you that the rest of the world needs. The way you are
and every aspect of your personality was designed specifically for a
purpose. Otherwise, it wouldn't be there. Your God-given talents are
what you can do for people; making music, creating art, construction
skills, ability to teach others, even just the ability and will to
learn. Literally, anything that you are good at (or anything you
aren't good at, for that matter) is something that God put in you,
and something that someone else needs; no experience needed.
“I'm
too young to make a difference.”
I've
thought this before as well, but let me tell you something, dear
friend; there is no time like the present. Lets take a look at
someone we all know; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Regardless of each of
our backgrounds in music, we all know the great and powerful
symphonies that Mozart had written, and what a powerful influence he
was on the rest of the world.
Mozart
wrote his first symphony at 8 years old.
You
can cry “child prodigy” all you like, but this is what I see: I
see a person who took the gift that God gave them, put it into action
at an early age, got people to look past his first name being
“Wolfgang”, and became one of the most well known composers in
the world. Now, not all of us are destined to become famous (in fact
very few people ever will), but my point is that Mozart wasn't
waiting around for anything. He saw what he could do and the gift
that he was given, and he did something with it, and has reached
billions of people around the world. You can't let your age stop you
from doing what God has planned for you to do. Volunteer at a soup
kitchen or homeless shelter, start a group (FCA, prayers at the
flagpole, ect.) at your school, sign up for a mentoring or tutoring
program, do what you can with what you have, and God will direct
your path.
“I'm
afraid.”
We've
all fought our battles with fear, and doing big things is absolutely
one of those battles. However, we as believers in Yeshua know that we
do not need to be afraid.
“Do
not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I
am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I
will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
We
do not need to be afraid; we know that if we trust in our Father, he
will guide us and protect us. I will also go as far to tell you that
if you are afraid in doing something, a lot of times (not always, but
a lot of times) it means you are doing the right thing. Doing
something so big that you know you can't do it without God's help is
always a bit nerve racking, but that is exactly how I want to live my
life. So laugh in the face of fear. Something bigger than that has
got your back.
For
those of you waiting on another person, whether it be that guy who
won't text you back, or the girl that never returns your calls, or
just waiting for someone else to do something, let me tell you right
now, its not worth it.
Sure,
they seem like the best thing in the world right now, but if they're
blind to your true worth, let them be swallowed in your wake. If they
were actually worth your time, they would see the value in it and
they would make time for you, instead of keeping you waiting. Don't
be anyone's second choice. If you really think about it, if you are
distracted because you are waiting on someone else, you could miss
out on other friendships, relationships, and opportunities that you
should be investing your time in. Once again, take it from someone
who got tired of it; instead of waiting on someone else, do it
yourself. Stop waiting and move on.
There
is something to be said about patience. In reality, the only thing
we really need to be waiting on is God.
Patience,
as I've told myself numerous times while waiting in line at Chipotle,
is a virtue. It is clearly shown many times throughout the bible that
patience is important, but look closely. Patience toward what? Are we
waiting on another person, situation, opportunity, or anything else?
Rarely. In most cases in the bible, it's either giving us a lesson on
self control, or it tells us to wait upon the Lord.
“Be
still before the Lord
and
wait patiently for him;do
not fret when people succeed in their ways,when
they carry out their wicked schemes.”be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!”
Psalm
37:7
“Wait
for the Lord;
Psalm
27:14
“Yet
the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
Isaiah
30:18
Patience
is a great thing to have, but there comes a point when you need to
stop being patient and start being real. It's been said before, and
I'll say it again; you can't steer a parked car. Neither can God
steer you, if if you are not moving. How can a door be opened if no one hears a knock? When was the last time something
wonderful happened to you while you were sat on your couch, doing
nothing but waiting for something to happen? My guess would be
never.
So
start moving. It doesn't matter if you don't know what direction you
should be going in, just start
in a direction, and God will guide you to the path that you are
supposed to take.
Your life won't begin until you take a step.
So
go ahead. Stop waiting, and do something.
"But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works"
James 2:18
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
James 1:22
"And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
Luke 11:9
