When my husband asked my parents for my hand in marriage, they said yes, on one condition: We wait to get married until we were both college graduates. He agreed with a lump in his throat (I’m sure). We waited a while before pleading our case to both sides of our family—why we should marry the year I graduated with his senior year still ahead of us. They didn’t buy it, no matter how we broached the subject. Regardless, we—or should I say I—planned our small wedding in secret, even going so far as to secure our venue, a beautiful rose garden, for a date our families didn’t know about.

What can I say? Patience really isn’t my strong suit.

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Thankfully, it all went wonderfully. Our families warmed up to the new date long before the wedding, and now that the years have passed, we can see how we would’ve had to cram even the most intimate of ceremonies into that next year. It would’ve been tough.

Isn’t that typical human nature, though? Always thinking we know best? Trying to manipulate a scenario at all costs so we get what we want, when we want it? Now that I’m older I know better, but I still find myself doing these things occasionally.

I think some of the hardest times are when the Lord tells you to wait, just wait, for your dreams.

Newlyweds barely scraping by, looking forward to financially sound times. Just wait.

Moving to a new town . . . again, seeking a job that feels like it was made for you. Just wait.

Having a husband and a home and dreaming of the baby you’ll hopefully bring into this world even though you’re scared. Just wait.

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Life’s a lot about waiting, and in the waiting, it can be difficult to see your way out.

Here’s the thing though: This moment is but a blip in the timeline of your life.

It might feel endless now, but it’s surely not, and it’s all part of your story. You have to just wait and be patient. 

As any reader knows, you don’t want to skip all the way to the last chapter. You want to enjoy all the pages in the middle, no matter what they hold. Who better to trust with all those pages than Jesus? We’re not to lean on our own understanding anyway (Proverbs 3:5-6).

He is always good. Sometimes chapters later, or even at the start of the very next one, you’re able to see His hand in everything—the reasons why things didn’t work out like you wanted at the time. 

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That first year of marriage when you were broke and cold so you ate every meal under blankets with your heater? Those kids learned a lot. They have plenty of funny stories to tell, too. I’m glad for the wait.

Those moves and job changes that landed you in an unexpected industry? They shifted your outlook on life for the better. They brought you close to new people, too. I’m glad for the wait.

The period of time when you nervously answered God’s call to grow your family, and in time He said Yes, here she is, but wait nine more months? What a blessing. What a game-changer, too. I’m glad for the wait.

I’m able to look back with a new appreciation for the hard times. I smile when I remember that girl who would’ve done anything to change her circumstances, love her heart, and if I could, I’d encourage her to just wait.