waiting...yet still pursuing

i have realized how crucial it is to be steadfast. to keep stepping forward. to go forward in the dreams that God has graciously put in me. to not give up even when it may take a little bit longer for them to come to fruition. 

the culture we live in continues to push us to believe that we have to have it right now. it's what i call a "microwave culture". we want whatever it is in a matter of seconds. we don't want to wait. we have become impatient in every sense. 

but to the contrary, there is a beauty behind waiting. we have to trust that what we are waiting on, will come. and even though we may have to wait, we must not give up on what we hope for. we must not give up on our dreams. visions. hopes. passions. those have to be in the very center of our waiting. they are the backbone of why we wait. 

sometimes when we have to wait on things, we tend to forget why in the world we are waiting in the first place. we then tend to gradually lose our vision. our passion. our purpose. our reason why we are where we are.

i'll be honest and tell you that the past few weeks for me have been extremely busy. and even though the things i have been a part of are all good, in the midst of it, i asked myself these quesitons: am i still pursuing my dreams? or did i get tired of waiting and give up? am i too distracted with what i am presently doing? and why am i not still actively stepping forward? where am i in the process? 

i have found that i am in the waiting process of God fulfilling the dreams He's put in me. they are clearly still a part of me. and so even though i am ready to walk through every open door, i must wait. the waiting process prepares you for things you don't know yet. it's a refining process. it's a beautiful way the Lord ask me (asks you) to trust Him even more. trust Him with every dream. every vision. every desire. every hope. every step. every moment i (or you) wait on Him to prepare me (you) for the next season of life. and as we trust Him, we must confidently take a step in that direction.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it's roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." 

Jeremiah 17:7-8

i have found that writing out my hopes & dreams show that they are still present & active...

• i hope to spend a significant amount time in africa this year and in the years to come. serving with others, but also loving on the precious children of God and serving the people of another culture.  (i am hoping/planning on doing exposure trips with 2 different organizations at the end of this summer!! :) )

• i hope to live among those of a 3rd world country. to immerse myself with their lives. to do life together. to learn from each other.  

• i hope to be married someday and become a mother. to raise up children to passionately follow Christ.

• i hope to be voice that God uses to encourage others. to challenge. to build up. to speak truth over.

• i hope to write a book someday. even though i don't know what all that entails, i hope to write it out and share God's story in my life, as well as be a voice for those on the other side of the world.