Embrace the Meantime…

There is often a long space between promise and manifestation. This space can be confusing, frustrating, and sadly causes many to forfeit their assignment. Oftentimes, God may show you a vision of something amazing to come. Perhaps He may show you a very large platform, where your gift is on display, but He does not show you everything you will encounter in your journey to mount that platform.

God almost never divulges every single detail of the plan, and for good reason, I might add! God knows you, and God knows His Plan. He knows that if He fully discloses the plan in its entirety upfront, you will run the opposite direction and miss out on the incredible future He has in store for you. So, in other words, He keeps it on a need-to-know basis.

This is why the meantime is crucial and absolutely beneficial to what lies ahead for us. None of us enjoys pain and not one of us, if given a choice, would raise our hand to sign up for loss, devastation, or heartache. We would much rather take the easier and more direct path involving the least amount of discomfort.

It is during the meantime that we learn so much about ourselves and the God we claim to trust with our lives! The meantime is a mirror which forces us to see ourselves for who we truly are and not who we pretend to be. Sometimes there are character defects or areas of weakness to be addressed. Sometimes our faith is not where we think it is. So our Omniscient Father uses the meantime for self-discovery and spiritual awakening.

God created you and He knows all there is to know about you. He knows what it will take to help you reach the destiny He has chosen for you. He knows that pain is a part of that process. Every tear is necessary. Every disappointment is necessary. Being lied on and lied to, experiencing betrayal, loneliness, and being commanded of God not to say a word, is all a part of the beautiful transformation waiting to happen.

Maya Angelou once said, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” And how true that is! We see the majestic wings but never consider the chrysalis. In the midst of the most excruciating trials Job experienced, he said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him…” (Job 13:5 KJV). The meantime builds both spiritual muscle and spiritual stamina.

Do you trust God to give you beauty for ashes? Do you trust that He knows what is best for you? Do you believe He has a Purpose for your life? Listen, one day it will all make sense, and you will be so happy you did not give up and that you chose to stay the course. Do not despise the meantime. Cry when you need to. Take a break and come up for air when you need to, but whatever you do, don’t give up! Embrace the meantime…