by Jeanne Takenaka, @JeanneTakenaka
I’ve worked toward publication for over ten years. TEN. YEARS. I jumped into this writing adventure certain I’d be published within a year or two. Walking this long road of waiting has challenged me to keep a healthy mindset.
Somehow, I must have boarded the jeepney rather than the jet plane, because I’m still waiting for this particular dream to become reality. I’m doing the hard work of writing books. Submitting to agents and editors. I’m becoming a better writer with each story and each blog post.
Still I wait.
God may set us on a journey, but He rarely guarantees the outcome we think we’re working toward. In almost every waiting season I’ve aimed in one direction, only to be detoured onto a different road. I’ve grappled in prayer with God because I didn’t understand, “Why this road?” And, God has answered those prayers, leading me on the perfect-for-me path and reorienting my thoughts toward a healthy mindset.
When we wait we learn to trust, or we end up frustrated.
Have there been times I’ve wanted to quit? Oh yeah. Sometimes, it feels too painful to keep waiting for something we want or expect. The “writing wait” has taught me to trust God’s timing and His path. I’ve learned a much greater dependence upon Him than myself. I’ve come to the place where I trust God’s timing is perfect.
Healthy Mindsets I’ve learned in the wait
1. Adjust expectations. When we first find ourselves in a waiting season, we expect it will end in a certain way at a specific time. Clinging to expectations leads to discouragement and frustration, because we’ve set our hope in the wrong place.
2. Choose trust over worry. I know some reading this aren’t waiting for something hoped for. They’re waiting for hard news, for resolution to an uncertain situation. It’s especially in these kinds of waits we must choose to trust God. We must remember He holds us and works in the places we can’t see.
3. Choose contentment. When we choose contentment where we are right now—remembering God loves us—the wait feels less difficult, and it’s easier to foster a healthy outlook.
4. Let go of the facade of control. We must choose between trying to control our wait or trusting God. We can’t hold both reins in our hands at the same time. When we give God the reins of our lives, we discover peace in the waiting.
5. Don’t put off life until the waited-for desire becomes reality. Just as I keep writing, we each must continue doing the everyday tasks that make up our lives. We should anticipate God showing up in our now. When we live present in each day and intentionally live in our life roles, God is honored.
I hope to one day soon see tangible progress on my writing journey. In the meantime, I’ll choose to maintain a heart that trusts God for each and every step forward in the waiting.
Award-winning aspiring novelist, Jeanne Takenaka, writes contemporary inspirational fiction that tackles real-life issues with a heart to draw women closer to God and those around them. She lives near the mountains in Colorado with her amazing husband and two exuberant boy-men. She loves being God’s girl—always learning about His grace, hanging out with friends and enjoying a great cup of coffee. When she’s not writing you can find her with a camera in her hand, looking for #alittlebitofpretty in her days. You can connect with her on her blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.