I know many people doing very little in life. They’re “waiting on God” for direction. Well, okay. If God tells you to wait, wait. If you know in your heart that waiting is being obedient to the season God has placed you, so be it. But I speak from experience when I recommend you examine yourself VERY closely before you spend too much time waiting.
Yes, God speaks to us. Yes, He has plans and purposes. But He also doesn’t control us. We have free will. We have choices. We are to be co-creators of something beautiful here on this earth.
Let me be perfectly clear. I am not claiming to give you the word of the Lord on this. This is just my personal belief, and I believe that it agrees with Scripture.
Here it is, plain and simple. Follow your heart. Be responsible. Don’t throw out reason. But make real decisions to pursue the desires of your heart. Read John Eldredge’s Journey of Desire (title has changed names since first printing) and Wild at Heart. Get a vision and a burning passion to pursue your heart’s desires.
But isn’t that selfish? Maybe. But maybe not. We are each created by God in his image. He imparts giftings and callings and desires. Some of our desires are God-given. Some are fleshly. Still others are God-given encrusted in a fleshly shell and we have to get to the heart of the matter first. The point is that Father God gives good gifts to His children. “He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Not every desire is God-given. But I encourage you to launch out and pursue a passion. Pay special attention to the condition of your heart throughout the process. Do you have peace? Do you feel a special life flowing through you when you pursue it? Do you feel shameful or guilty? These senses will guide you as you pursue what is before you.
I began pursuing one dream, and it morphed here and there and twisted and changed all over the place. I am in pursuit of my heart’s desire, because I believe it is the fulfillment of at least some of God’s purposes for my life. I am looking for the purest, most undiluted and real expression of this desire. It’s a refining process that never started for 10 years while I sat on my duff “waiting on God.”
Not everyone shares my experience. Not everyone should do what I did. But if this speaks to your heart, explore that. God speaks in more ways than just thunder through the clouds or by a prophetic word from a church leader or friend.
It’s still YOUR life. You can sit still and possibly stagnate or get moving and grow as you go. I am not stating this as gospel truth, merely my opinion. I waited and waited and waited. Did I need to wait that long for God to open a door? Maybe. Or maybe it was just a matter of being willing to do something now rather than in the future. Maybe God opened the door once my heart was open to hear AND act.
Chicken or egg? You decide. But be willing to consider that the prize comes to those who, like Paul, raced and stretched forward toward the goal.