What Are You Waiting For?

Written by Brooke-Lauren Montgomery

Do you have something you're holding onto that you want to let go? Do you have a dream you want to go for but you're afraid? Do you want to take the leap with the one you love but fear has you bound? 

Do you want to change this? If so, can I ask you a question?

What are you waiting for?

There have been numerous things on my mind that have heavily weighed on my heart lately. Every one of them has fear hidden in them. I've had people stop talking to me for unknown reasons, people I cared about deeply. I've had struggles within myself, with who I am, with what I'm supposed to do with my life, and I've questioned why I was born. 

But I know this--I was born for a reason, whether I see it or not. And so were you. Psalm 139 1-18 incredibly says:  

"You have searched me, Lord,
    and You know me. 

 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    You perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;
   You are familiar with all my ways. 

 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely. 

 You hem me in behind and before,
    and You lay your hand upon me^.

  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence? 

 If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. 

 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 even there Your hand will guide me,
    Your right hand will hold me fast. 

 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

 For you created my inmost being;
  You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    Your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well. 

 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 

 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in Your book
    before one of them came to be. 

 How precious to me are Your thoughts,God!
    How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with You." (Emphasis mine)

This passage brings tears to my eyes because I know that no matter how rejected, hurt, angry, sad, and lonely I feel, He's there and He'll never leave because He formed me in the womb. He knew me before He created me. He loves me so much that He knows the number or hairs on my head. He thinks good things about me and He's written all my days on earth in His book. Where I go, His right hand guides and protects me. He knows my thoughts before I think them and He's there when I wake and when I go to sleep. His thoughts to me are unfathomable and so numerous I cannot count them. 

He feels and thinks this way about you, too. You have a purpose. God wouldn't have created us so intricately if we each didn't have a purpose in this life. We may not see it now, but we will in time. 

God's given us dreams, aspirations, and goals. Sometimes we get afraid to go after what God has given us. "Afraid" is the evil key word. There is nothing good in fear. Trust me, I know because I've struggled with it immensely since I was in middle school and I'm 23 now. Do you know what Bible Study Teacher, Beth Moore, defines fear as? False Evidence Appearing Real.

Think you're not good enough? You're not adequate enough? Strong enough? Too hopeless, helpless, too far gone? No. You're not. That's what FEAR wants you to believe, so take a good look at the definition of fear. Repeat it to yourself as many times as you need to to ingrain it into your brain. 

If you have a few bumps or mountains along your journey to your dream, don't give up.

If you want the promotion at work, or you want to just improve your skills, go for it hard. If it takes asking questions and learning more, asking your boss how to improve, do it. And if your boss tells you you're interrupting their time off, or you're pushing their buttons, or they don't have time to talk to you like a manager should, show them that you will succeed. Don't let their careless words get to you. Push forward. Show them what you're made of.

If you want to publish that booklet of poems, a collection of short stories, or a novel, go for it. Submit your queries and search for agents. If you get rejection letter after rejection letter, keep pushing. Keep editing your work, keep improving and increase your tenacity because one day it will pay off. 

Keep practicing for the sport you want to go pro in. Bust your butt 110%. Even if you have bruises, don't stop. Show the coaches what you're made of. Whatever it takes to improve your skills, do it.

Do you want to make things right with a friend? Are you bothered by something you said to them a long time ago? Go apologize and ask them to forgive you. If they turn you away, keep your head up and know you did what you had to do. You did your part.

Have you been running from God? Has he been trying to woo you to Himself and you've pushed your arms out in resistance? Do you think He's not enough but deep down you know He is? Do you want to make things right? 

What are you waiting for?

Your passion was instilled inside of you for a reason. Don't let it go to waste! 

There's a song I recently heard that's my new favorite. It's called What Are You Waiting For by Nickelback. I encourage you to watch the video and read the lyrics by clicking the link below. If you already know it, go somewhere alone, listen to it and really let the words sink in. 

http://youtu.be/GNSpboIv02k 

Your efforts and your persistence will not be in vain. 

What are you waiting for?

You'll never know unless you try.