The Danger of Lying in Wait

Are you overwhelmed by the waiting? Does it consume you? {p.s. I’m right there with ya’}

© Serghei Starus | Dreamstime.com

Let’s listen to what Mary Kassian says in her book Girls Gone Wise* (pg. 87),

“Many women spend their whole lives lying in wait. They perpetually wait and watch for their next big catch, and hope that it will bring them the fulfillment they so desperately desire.”

It is so easy to get caught up in what we want to happen next.

However, instead of lying in wait, we must use our time wisely. We must keep our focus on Him, even in the waiting, even when it’s hard.

In Him alone is where we need to find our fulfillment, otherwise that fulfillment is going to be short-lived.

We won’t find the fulfillment we are looking for in any of these things:

finding a guy
buying a house
having children
our husband getting a promotion
moving somewhere
graduating from school
being able to retire
or anything else.

The fulfillment that we get from those things happening will fade. Granted, they may be good aspirations. However, we should not be consumed by obtaining the milestones or search for our fulfillment in the obtainment of these things.

The things of this world are temporal, they do not last. But yet, we focus so much on these things instead of the greatest thing.

I have been praying much about how I should use my time while I am waiting. I do not want to be useless during this time due to my lying in wait.

I want to take advantage of the time I have been given, right here, right now, in this situation. God has me here for a reason, He has something for me to do in this season of waiting.

If I consume myself by lying in wait, I will miss the opportunity to glorify God and serve Him here in the waiting.

Who knows how long the waiting could be? We could miss so much by lying in wait!

There’s good news, though. We do not have to lie in wait. We can make use of our time, for the Kingdom, and trust God to work in our lives and in our waiting.

Mary Kassian continues on this topic at the end of the chapter (pg. 92),

“Don’t squander your life. Don’t waste your time lying in wait. Christ is too important. Time is too precious. The needs are too great. Too much is at stake.”

We must live today.

I was reminded of this great quote today by Jim Elliot. Let’s focus our energy on this,

“Wherever you are, be all there.”

*Disclosure: This is an affiliate link.

Question for you:

What would it look like to be “all there” today in your life?

This post is part of my 31 Days of Waiting series. Read all the posts in the series here.