no complaining in the waiting
I have been wanting to share some of my thoughts these past six months, but honestly it has been so hard for me to just sit and write. It has been a wild year for me. I was hospitalized three times and it took a lot out of me. I’m not used to having so much time on my hands to rest and take care of myself. I have had some good days and some really discouraging ones too. I felt so off from the medication and health issues I was experiencing and didn’t feel pretty or even worthy. I knew I couldn’t live thinking like that so I’ve been spending a lot of time in prayer. I also have been watching James River Church online, since I can’t be there in person now. One of pastor John’s messages talked about complaining. I knew it was for me. I began thinking of all the times I had complained in the past years. I tried to pinpoint when it began and it was definitely when I got to college. I remember not liking that I was moving on from high school and having to make new friends and start a new life. Somewhere through the years I moved on from those feelings, but I kept complaining about little things in my life. It became such a habit for me that I was unaware I was doing it. Complaining gets you nowhere. You have to figure out how to make a bad situation better. Do something that makes you happy or that helps you push through a hard day. Pray and read the bible. The only thing that brings me peace is spending time with God. It makes the hard days better and helps me focus on fixing the things I don’t want in my life anymore.
This year I have been encouraged so much by others, and I started to remind myself of those times. Back in August I shot a wedding in Washington. The sweetest couple hosted me, their names are Jan and Bruce. They are seriously like grandparents to me! Jan pulled me aside after being there that week and started praying over me and affirming things I wanted so badly, things I had been praying for for years. I began crying in her kitchen because I seriously felt so seen by the Lord at that moment. All the doubt I had just washed away. When I was listening to pastor John’s message he shared a story of a time similar to this. The Lord had told him something would happen and he felt so encouraged, but as he went through the motions he just forgot about it. It wasn’t until a couple years later, when it happened, that he realized how foolish he was for complaining instead of thanking God. The enemy will try to distract you from God’s plan, but you have to stay strong!
I think I needed those seasons of complaining to help me realize the consequences and toxicity it brought to my life. Even though my life is not what I expected, I can remember those times I felt so encouraged and pray for patience in this journey. My family and I are in a season of waiting right now. We found out my grandpa has stage four cancer just about a month ago. My parents were also offered some property near where my grandpa lives in Florida, for Ability Tree. So come 2023 we decided to move to Florida! There’s a lot of emotions that come with that, but we are excited and ready for a new season! I realized how anxious and impatient I have been the past few months because I just want to get to Florida. I have learned to stop myself from complaining everyday and to focus on the good things in my life while I wait! There are so many good verses to study on what to do in a season of waiting and I’ll leave them below! Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts, I hope this encourages you today!
Until next time,
Hannah
Micah 7:7
“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.”
Psalm 5:3
“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.”
Psalm 130:5-6
“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.”
Psalm 37:7-8
“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.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.”
Psalm 27:13-14
“I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:25
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him”
Colossians 4:2
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Isaiah 30:18
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!”
