I don’t know about you, but I’m an extremely impatient person. In fact, my lack of patience is definitely my most prominent character flaw. So it’s fair to say that I am never particularly enthused to endure a season of waiting.
This past year was the longest and hardest season of waiting I’ve ever experienced. It was also the most transformative and revealing time of my life.
I want to explain to y’all the lessons I’ve learned from this season in my life, what God says about patience and waiting, and how you can patiently persevere.
My Story
My freshman year was marked with emotional distress, health issues, and feelings of inadequacy. I tethered my self worth to how much I worked out, how “cleanly” I ate, and how well I did in my classes (I only allowed myself to get A’s).
This identity crisis, fueled by negativity, resulted in a breakdown of my health and sanity. At the end of my freshman year, I had to take a medical leave of absence and an entire year off of school.
I knew I had to take a year off, but couldn’t understand why God would put this in my cards. If I took a year off, I thought that I would regress while all my peers make progress.
I thought that I was wasting my life away staying at home and taking time to heal.
At the beginning of this gap year, all I felt was despair. But slowly, God presented me with so many opportunities that Alhamdullilah (Thank God) I was able to run with at full speed.
These opportunities came in the form of starting my blog (read more about how God literally revealed the concept to me here) and in the form of working for an AMAZING non profit in my hometown.
Soon, I began to realize the BEAUTY of this season. I truly could feel God carving this time out of my usual go-go-go busy schedule in order to grow in my faith, heal, and fulfill my new passions.
I am more than grateful I had this season of waiting. Not only did I receive so many amazing opportunities, I truly grew as a person and first hand saw how “[We] plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of Planners” (8:30).
Now, I actually encourage people to take “time off”. I wrote about how much I encourage YOU to take a gap year– whether it be between high school and college, college and grad school, or college and work… it is an amazing opportunity to clarify yourself and grow immensely.
What God Says About Your Season of Waiting
I have included verses from both the Old Testament and the Qur’an.
Qur’an Verses on Patience
“And endure patiently, your patience is not but from Allah” (16:127) – Your patience is for a God Directed purpose! Remember that this season was intentionally placed in your life by our Almighty Creator.
“So patiently persevere: for verily the promise of Allah is true: nor let those shake your firmness, who have (themselves) no certainty of faith” (30:60) – Keep going. The Lord has a plan and a promise for you to succeed, if you maintain faith and belief in His Goodness.
Check out these powerful Qur’an Verses for Anxiety.
Old Testament Verses on Patience
“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings” (Psalms 40:2) – This is what Our Creator can do! He gives us trials and tribulations that we GROW through… and Only through HIS Strength can we overcome those trials! Your season of waiting is a trial. Embrace it and know that through steadfast faith, HE will help you.
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14) – Maybe during this time, you are supposed to for once, sit in silence and truly listen. Grow your iman (faith) through this test of patience. Sometimes you really just need to be still- stop toiling after the wind.
Know That:
- God’s timing is perfect.
- The Lord values patience.
- Faith is the only thing that can truly power you through rough times in life.
Thanks for reading, friends. I would love to hear more about your faith journey in the comments below. Have you thrived through a season of waiting?
