A mother::
The one who nurtures you, loves you when you’re dirty and loves you when you’re clean. The one you go to in tears after a hard day and the one who rejoices with you on your best. The one who speaks life over you and your future, who holds you and who chastens you in love because she has her eyes on your great future; full of potential.
I want to be all of these things. I dream (literally) of being a mother and always have. I have this longing and urge to try and love every child and hold them when they cry, pray over their futures, play with them or just sit and laugh with them.
But when I start to think of what a mother is and what she does, I tend to disqualify myself a little. Not from being a mother but acting like one before I actually become one. And what the Lord showed me was that I don’t have to physically birth a child, foster a child or adopt a child to nurture or love one. I don’t have to wait until I am married and have children to hold them when they cry or encourage and praise them when they succeed. Jesus does all of these things. So why not start loving with everything we have now instead of waiting for a life altering event to qualify us? In Colossians, Paul says to give thanks to the Father who has qualified you. There it is:: we’re already qualified, so what are we waiting on?
This doesn’t just apply to being a mother though. Say you want to be the best chef in the country. You’re not just going to sit around & wait for someone to come and say “hey, you are now the best chef in the country” are you? No, you’re going to start wherever you are, do what you can, practice, cook well, and wait for promotions to come your way. Not only are you trusting that your practice is working, but you keep on cooking even when you haven’t yet been promoted.
We have to keep on keepin’ on even when our promise hasn’t manifested. Even when we’ve been faithful to serve and trust the Lord with what we have, we must continue praising Him (even if it’s with tears running down our cheeks) & trust that He is working things for our good, and better than we ever could.
Just this past week at church, my campus pastor spoke about faith. He said “Don’t let your circumstances compromise your faith. Maintain the power that you have in God by depositing your faith in this: His Character, His Goodness, His faith… not your performance.” When he said that I was thinking whoa, he just read my mail. I don’t have to let the fact that I’m not a mother yet keep me from living well! I keep loving and caring for mother children until one day I get to love and care for my own! It’s amazing that God loves us so much to reassure us that we are hearing Him and that He is always speaking.
If you’re waiting on a promise from the Lord to be manifested, whether the wait has been two days or 20 years, and even if you don’t know which specific promise you’re waiting on, I can assure you that you have not wasted your time, and God is not wasting your time.
There’s beauty in the waiting & I’d love to pray and believe with you! You can hit the contact button at the top or comment, and I’d love to get connected!
peace & blessings::
Shelby
