Seems the world is all about hurry up and wait. We wait in traffic, at doctors’ offices, in check-out lines. Is there such a thing as productive and unproductive waiting?

We’ve all heard the saying “it doesn’t happen overnight,” the it being whatever we’re hoping to achieve.

Yet, even overnight seems an eternity in this instant-gratification kind of world. So let’s allow this verse to sink in. We know patience is a virtue, but this verse is talking about waiting with perseverance.

So what exactly are we doing while we’re waiting?

There’s a Dollar General in our neighborhood, a great place to do a quick-shop-pit-stop. I’ve found out the hard way, the parking lot is far from level. If you park on the east side of the lot, you’d better hang on to your cart while unloading, otherwise you’ll be chasing the thing like a mad woman. Yes, I’ve been that mad woman. It would be handy if the carts had brakes, but they don’t.

I’ve found my ambition can be like a runaway cart at times, can you relate?

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit can help us apply the breaks when we seek His guidance. He can help us narrow our focus,  taking each step in order, without tripping over ourselves.

If you’ve ever taken a writing or blogging course, you’ll recognize the process of honing in on a specific message. Topics can be vast. Take marriage and family for example. Where does one begin to write about the dynamics of relationships? It can be complicated, overwhelming even, but it doesn’t have to be.

We start with the vast topic, then narrow it down:

Marriage→communication→communicating needs to your spouse.

Family→blended family→effective communication with your stepchildren.

See how that works? We’ve narrowed the focus down from overwhelming to specific.

The same works in ministry:

continent→country→state→county→city→neighborhood→neighbor.

We need not feel overwhelmed in our calling to reach out. Before heading out, let’s heed God’s Lead.

We wouldn’t serve a four year old a porterhouse steak or an entire lasagne. It’s the same with our doing. We can do one thing at a time, bite-sized chunks. If we don’t, we’ll be calling for the Heimlich maneuver.

So what is God calling us to do today?

Provide a meal, encourage a friend, intercede in prayer?

Whatever your chunk is today, chew on it well before you swallow it. We can get so focused on the doing, we forget what we’ve been called to do.

Here’s a word of encouragement, we aren’t called to go it alone. Someone washes a dish, the other dries it; someone cooks a meal, the other serves it. Many gifts, many hands, many members, one body.

We are doing, but not doing it all.

For the past couple of years, I’ve dreamed of reaching women where they are, but the truth is, they’re everywhere. I can’t be everywhere, but God already is. He covers the everywhere, and calls us to cover the wherever.

So wherever He leads us, we will go. And whatever He calls us to do, we will do.

And that my friend, is perseverance.

Not doing it all at once, but telling others what Jesus has done, once for all.

Never give up on what God wants to do in your life, He has plans for you and for me. So let’s keep our eyes on the perfecter of our faith, running the race while waiting with perseverance.

We can wait well together, in the hope of the things to come.