Living in the Wait Land

Am I the only person who stays confused for the first two months of the year? I am unable to keep up with the days and weeks during January and February.

The date for this blog slipped up on me. (I thought it was next week). So, I am going to cheat and recycle a post from several years ago. Hope it speaks to someone!

Living in the Wait Land

As a writer, I spend a lot of time in the “wait land.” Waiting for magazines to post their latest theme list, waiting for an editor or agent to read my submission and response, waiting for the next great idea.

If you’re a writer I know you can relate, but I think everyone lives in the wait land. Students wait for grades to be posted, employees wait for raises and promotions, parents wait for the children to grow up and grandparents wait for the little ones to visit. waiting isn’t fun and it’s not easy. Especially when we’re waiting for something life-altering, either good or bad such as a new job, or the results of a CT scan.

Why does God make us wait? Romans 8:28 tells us that God works for our good so He must have an important reason. We can learn many things in the wait land. Delays, setbacks and disappointments build our hope, patience and faith. They draw us closer to God, and we depend on Him more and more.

What should we do while we are waiting?

Be happy and celebrate with others. When a friend wins a writing contest, a critique partner gets published or finds an agent cheer them on. The Storyteller Squad members are great about encouraging each other and celebrating their victories. God says that love is not jealous, so we should never be jealous of friend’s victory.

God is not limited in the number of blessings He can bestow. Just because your friend is blessed by winning a contest doesn’t mean that you have lost a blessing. We should never underestimate God. We have to wait on His timing.

We also need to explore other areas of writing.  For example, if you only write fiction try a little non-fiction. Chicken Soup for the Soul’s website lists the types of articles they’re looking for and this is a good option for beginning writers. You can even try writing articles for non-fiction magazines.

If you typically write novels start writing short stories too. Short stories are fun and challenging, but they don’t take nearly as much time as a full-length novel.  I’ve had several flash fiction pieces published in Splickity flash fiction magazine.

Try blogging, twitter and Facebook pages. Attend conferences and workshops. Take advantage of the classes taught monthly on the ACFW loop, and never stop learning and growing as a writer and a Christian.

As rewarding as writing may be, nothing is as wonderful as a relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to rest in Jesus’s arms. Being still is very difficult for me. It’s hard for me to rest and let God lead and direct. I’ve learned through the years, that things work much better when I let go.

I have to trust God to open the right doors and close the wrong doors. I have to believe that He has a perfect plan and a perfect will. Life in the wait land teaches us to count on God’s strength, not ours. His creative spirit, His desires, His purposes and His will for our lives are revealed in the wait land.

Life in the wait land is not so bad after all.