What if these were the best and sweetest years of our lives but we’re missing it?
In the first 5 or so chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses walks the Israelites through a retrospective of their history with God, their failures and successes and the commandments, statues and judgments they’re expected to obey when they occupy the Promised Land.
The trend is pretty clear. Obey God, things go well. Disobey? Not so much.
We also see Moses detail their movement through the wilderness as God tells them when and where to camp, when to pick up, and when to move to the next place. In other words, Israel spent a lot of time waiting. They must have felt like my picture above, a green light with a Do Not Walk hand sign.
A writer on Facebook shared that this is the part of Christianity that tests us the most—the boring bits where we’re just conducting life and nothing “significant” is happening. She said that Christians are addicted to the high of “what next?!” Sadly, our impatience often gives Satan room to answer that question.
Although we have no record of what Abraham did between visitations, Joseph’s years in Potiphar’s house or in jail, and Jesus’ life between 12 and 30, somehow, many have been led to believe that the Christian life should be a series of highlight reels with God as the vehicle of arrival. [“Sir, can you please just drop me off right here? I’ll be back in 50 minutes. Can you wait? It’s fine to keep the meter running.”]
In the past, I’ve been guilty of treating my waiting period as some unpleasant box that needed to be checked off. Perhaps I thought my real life was being prepared for me in a factory somewhere; that the boring parts just had to be tolerated until I got a seat at the table of my own life. I can laugh about it now.
What about you? Are you waiting and hating it? Have you subconsciously put your life on pause? Have you canceled your own life because of a few years that didn’t go the way you planned it?
Just like the thousands of times we’ve showered, brushed our teeth, picked up a call, went on a walk, bought groceries, read a book, etc., and thought nothing of it— the thousands of seconds where nothing major is happening are also our lives!
I’m still learning to hush my mind, my phone, my mouth and other people’s mouths (from talking at me in real life and on social media, including Youtube); to take time and reflect on what life is inviting me to examine and change, improve or update. Boring times are rich with potential and I’ve been asking myself questions like:
- “I think I’m ready for x but is there something I’ve missed?” <– this is major for me because of this experience:
Part 1 — https://www.instagram.com/tv/Bp3gbuxlV_z/
Part 2 — https://www.instagram.com/tv/Bp3gl_xl_MC/
2. “Am I focused or distracted from my goals?”
3. “Am I prioritizing the right things?”
4. “What and who am I waiting on?”
5. “Who am I? Am I sure of my identity in Christ?”
6. “Can I defend my beliefs clearly and peaceably?”
7. “Have I been wasting my own time?”
8. “What is blocking my ability to be content right where I am?”
9. “Is God calling me deeper? Have I answered that call?”
I don’t know about you but after this year, I think highly of boredom. “Boring” is the turnout area life gives me to slow down, take inventory, anchor my faith, and build character. Even now, in this unsettling winter quiet—frankly, it’s too quiet; I believe something very bad is about to happen—I realize that my ambitions are not in alignment with God’s will and that it’s time to let go of a great many things and refocus on some critical foundational work.
Additionally, like the writer on Facebook shared in her post, downtime is for sharpening my sword through disciplined (see, not led by emotions or when I feel like it) times of prayer, fasting and Scripture memorization.
In these last of the last days, this is how I’m trying to use my time…every boring bit of it.
PS: I’m painting again. This one is called Winter Fire.
Watch the sped-up painting process here: https://youtu.be/UrFgssdMFN0