Wait for it, Wait for it, HOLD....HOLD!

When we took surfing lessons in Oahu, we rode teeny tiny waves, but even in the shallow reef, the instructors would have us "wait" for the right time to catch a wave that could take us all the way to the shoreline, boosting our confidence in the process. As our balance and technique improved, the instructor took us out a little bit farther to the "bigger" wave area. The deeper the water, the bigger the waves, but also the longer you'd wait.

If you tried to paddle too late, you'd miss the wave altogether, but if you paddled too soon, you'd likely experience a punishing wipe out. It is reminiscent of that scene in Braveheart where William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson) is prepping his apprehensive Scotsmen for their biggest wave ever. The dark enemy horses ride closer and closer to the frontline, but Wallace keeps yelling "HOLD... HOLD...HOLD..." At the edge of their seat, even the audience is holding their breath judging Wallace for waiting too long to charge.

At just the right moment though you hear, "NOW!" And that's when the soldiers and you CANNOT hesitate. That is the moment you've been waiting for. Don't blink, question, or cower. Ride your wave in confidence because you waited in faith. The timing is perfect.

I know that God will reveal His will for our future. Where we will live, what we will do, who we will meet, but I need prayer that I don't try to catch the wave too soon.

I know that history is steeped with people, many wise women in fact, who just couldn't wait. They had to intervene and jump ahead of God's plans because they worried God was waiting too long. Perhaps God wasn't seeing the perfect wave that they saw.

We save ourselves a lot of heartache and hardship by simply waiting faithfully. Fortunately, God uses it all, our hesitations and false starts alike--all for His glory as our good.

I have a tendency to make a plan and figure out ahead of time what needs to happen. I want to be ready. I don't want to question, cower, or hesitate when I know where He wants me to go. The problem is when I think I've waited long enough. Then, I begin to make plans without Him.

God knows I need the wait time because that's the prep time--shaping my heart to fully trust and obey when He call, Go!

Wait without dubious expectations, but wait actively poised.

This balance only works by faith. Faith that leads to Hope. "[God] marked out their appointed times in history and the places where they would live. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." (Acts 17:26-27)

He already knows, He just wants us to keep reaching out to Him. As we wait for God to tell us where to go next, we reach out and draw closer to Him.

~Holding Carefully and Carelessly