There’s no such thing as perfect timing. 

But, even being aware of this idea, sometimes we wait too long… 

We wait to go after our dreams. 

We wait to tell the person we’re in love with that we’re in love with them. 

We wait to have fun. 

We wait to travel. 

We wait to change jobs. 

We wait to be happy. 

We wait...To live. 

As I make out to-do lists and dream up plans, which I often do, I see a pattern in myself that I tend to wait for perfect conditions. I wait until I have all of the information. I wait until I’ve learned more. Experienced more. Earned more. Saved more. Until I’ve assessed everything I possibly can with a pros and cons list. 

Most times, life feels like one big waiting room. 

Waiting for the degree.

Waiting for the dream job. 

Waiting for the right guy or gal to come into your life. 

Waiting to move to the next thing in your career.

Waiting to buy the house. 

Waiting, waiting, waiting. 

Looking back at my life, I see how waiting has played a big part in just about every major season of my life. 

In high school, I was ready for college. 

In college, I was ready to go out and get my first real job. 

And now? Well, I’m not really sure exactly what it is that I’m waiting for, but I know I’m waiting for that next thing.

The best things come when you least expect them. They don't come when you’ve planned out every moment and perfectly arranged each scenario. People walk into your life at the messiest of time or you land the job in the midst of other great opportunities showing themselves or happiness comes after a wave of intense grief that you can’t exactly explain. 

The reality of the waiting game in my own life is that I let fear and anxiety talk me into the “enough” scare. You know the one. Not pretty enough. Not smart enough. Not capable enough. Not enough experience. Not enough money. 

There are seasons for waiting. Believe me, I know that story well. I feel like I’m always in a season of waiting and have become quite the expert on what to expect. 

Wanting. Hoping. Wishing. For whatever it may be. And sometimes a pause is good. What is the next step? What do you need to do? What does God need to do in order for things to go through? You can’t always just make a crazy decision based on the feeling of that moment. 

But, there are other times that require us to just jump. Moments that require our faith to be stronger than ever before,  not in ourselves, but in God. For things that we simply can’t do in our own strength. 

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” 

It’s like the trust fall they made us do in elementary school. You’d partner up with your best pal or the classmate they assigned you. Without seeing anything behind you, or closing your eyes, you fall back, hoping that the partner would catch you and you wouldn’t fall flat on your back. 

It can feel a lot like that with God, because you can’t see exactly what He’s up to on a daily basis, you just have to trust that He’s there, waiting to catch you, guiding you to the next thing. You eventually have to have the courage to climb to the top of the diving board and jump off and do the thing He's calling you to. Or wait in the moments where it feels necessary. Sometimes, the two overlapping. 

Because waiting is more than just simply waiting. It's what you do with it.