Ho, Ho, Hold Up!

As adults, we like to believe that the excitement of Christmas is only for children. But if you take a look around, that couldn’t be further from the truth. A lot of times, the holidays are a time where people reflect on their lives and realize they can’t live without a special person. Celebrities, friends on social media, church members, etc. are getting engaged, setting wedding dates, closing business deals, and posting birth announcements. Christmas and New Year’s sparks change in many hearts and they vow to make decisions that will impact their lives for the better in the year to come.

But what happens when you aren’t able to participate in any of those things? What do you do when everyone is celebrating a joyous occasion except for you, when it seems as though God has given you a front row seat to watch someone else receive what you have been praying for, fasting for, believing for, and crying to Him for? It’s very easy to get caught up in who “deserves” all of the good fortune they are receiving and who doesn’t. Most of the time we find it a little easier to be happy for the ones who seem to have it all together. But have you ever found yourself wondering “God, I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me but you place me close enough to see them get what I want?

That’s a question that almost all of us have asked. While everyone is coupled up, people keep telling you to “trust God’s timing” but I’m here to refute that. We are good at trusting God’s characteristics but what happened to just trusting Him? Trusting Him with your life is far better than just trusting His timing. Time is but a vapor to God, so if you’re stuck on a clock you can’t progress into the purpose of this season.  

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

The timing of a situation doesn’t always give you peace during the season but knowing who has control of your life does.

Trusting God when it’s day or night, whether you’re single or married, childless or fruitful is much easier said than done. But I think people have been getting it wrong for years. God never wants us to suppress the desires of our heart because we don’t have them, He wants us to use the time we’re waiting for Him to move to prepare ourselves for them. One of the worst things in the world would be to pretend you don’t want what God promised you and then not be able to handle it/them when He answers your prayer. What you do as you trust God to do what He does is what makes times like these bearable and, dare I say, enjoyable because you know God doesn’t waste time…it’s too precious to Him.

It becomes much easier to enjoy what other people are receiving when you know you’re just giving a dress rehearsal for how you will respond when God answers your prayer. God has not given you a front row seat to their happiness to antagonize you; it’s to motivate you to prepare for WHEN He does the same for you. God has placed a desire to “couple and reproduce” inside most of us so to say you don’t want that because you don’t have it, is forsaking your desire and God’s.  It’s okay to want what God wants for you but don’t miss your opportunity to be fully equipped to maintain it once you get it.

If it’s a spouse you’re praying for, have you taken the time to honor your commitment to God the way you want your spouse to honor your commitment to you? If it’s a promotion, have you been a good steward over the finances He has already entrusted you with? If it’s a child, have you made plans for the future of this world-changer you want to bring into the world?

The purpose of allowing you to watch what you want before you receive it is not to become jealous, envious, or throw shade toward what you think you see. It’s to check the condition of your heart, not for God because He already knows, but for yourself. Are you responding to their joy the same way you would want someone to respond to theirs? Your preparation for receiving favor is found in your response to someone else receiving it. Remember, when a man finds a wife he finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22) but it’s impossible to bring favor to anyone when you can’t celebrate the favor another home will receive because you aren’t the one bringing it.

While the kids are counting down the time for Santa to come down the chimney, God wants us using our countdown to prepare for what He’s going to deliver!

With All My Love,
Mrs. Truscott