I think we underestimate how truly hard it is to be patient. Every aspect of our life is inundated with waiting for something. Waiting for change, or stability. Waiting for good news, or bad. Waiting for the next opportunity. Waiting for growth. We are often caught in the middle of waiting for these things to happen and then rushing to catch up before they pass us by. You hear that one must be patient and not be overeager, but at the same time, one must take action and grab life by the horns.

I know that God’s time is not my own, and his plan for me is never exactly what I vision for myself. Looking back on my life up to this point, those plans have been unexpected, but better. It is a hard pill to swallow when in your mind, you want more for yourself and your family, but it seems like it is not coming soon enough.

They say patience is a virtue. They say good things come to those who are patient. Embodying patience is easier said than done. How do we balance being patient, but also taking action?

Being overeager is off-putting.
I know from experience that being overeager can come off as desperate. I fight this battle often. I want so much for myself and for my family that my actions occasionally reflect those sentiments in a negative way. We interact with decision-makers constantly. Some that you know, and some that you don’t know. We are all different people on different paths. We all have different wants, needs, ambitions, and struggles. Their timing is not your timing. I have to remind myself of this every day. Trying to bully your agenda will rarely get results.

You do yourself a disservice by being too humble.
At the same time, we can be too humble or not eager enough. I fight this battle too. We underestimate our worth and talents and often don’t share enough about how special we are, how hard we work, or the dreams and goals we have for ourselves. Once again, we interact with decision-makers constantly, and if you don’t make your goals and aspirations known, or talk about your talents to those that you interact with they will never have the opportunity to collaborate with you in making things happen.

At the end of the day, the waiting game of life is truly a balance. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is understanding that things will never happen on your own time, but they will also never happen while you sit on your hands. So, don’t get discouraged. Go out and set your sights for the stars. Never give up on your goals and aspirations. Be humble in your endeavors and do good work every day. Not for the sake of the preconceived reward, but for the sake of being a good person. Stay busy while you wait, and leave the rest up to God.