When Waiting Starts to Wear Us Down
Waiting for the fulfilment of God’s promises isn’t easy. I’ve been there more than once. The longer a season stretches out, the more tempting it is to start pulling back. Thoughts begin to creep in. Maybe God forgot. Maybe I didn’t hear Him clearly. Maybe it’s wiser not to invest too deeply where I am because I might not be here much longer.
Those thoughts sound reasonable, but I’ve learned the hard way that they lead straight into passivity if I’m not careful. I start showing up less. I hold back from relationships. I find myself sitting at the edge of my life, quietly waiting for the next door to open instead of living fully where I am.
A Real Story of Obedience, Loss, and Feeling Stuck
Several years ago, dear friends of mine moved across the country. They left fulfilling jobs and a strong church community to care for a family member who needed help. It was a costly decision, but they went with open hearts.
When they arrived, things were not easy. They found part-time work and attended a local church, but it was difficult to connect in a small, tight-knit town. They felt out of place and increasingly lonely. Then, in less than two years, the person they had moved to care for passed away.
Now they were grieving, far from home, and without the financial ability to return to the city they loved. They felt stuck in a place they had never intended to stay. Watching them, I could feel how easily that situation could have pulled them into the same kind of passivity I’ve wrestled with myself.
The Turning Point
One day, my friend called me. She was homesick and discouraged. As we talked, I felt prompted to share a passage from Jeremiah:
“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce… seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you… for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” — Jeremiah 29:5–7
It wasn’t about calling her situation an unwanted exile. It was about the posture of her heart. And honestly, it was speaking to mine too. God was inviting both of us to stop waiting for a way out and start living fully where we were.
As we prayed, I sensed this clearly: “Plant seeds in the garden I have given you. Bring your best right here. Bring peace into this place simply by being who you are.”
What Changed
She chose to take that seriously. Instead of holding back, she began to lean in. She started investing in relationships, showing up in her community, and asking God to help her see what was good in front of her.
And if I’m honest, watching her challenged me. I saw the same invitation in my own life again. The circumstances didn’t suddenly become easy for her, but something shifted inside. The heaviness began to lift. There was purpose again, even in a place she had not chosen.
About a year later, God opened the door for them to return home. Their church family welcomed them back with open arms. The waiting season ended, but it was not wasted.
Don’t Sit at the Exit Door
This is where I’ve had to check my own heart more than once. It’s so easy to treat waiting like a holding pattern, to sit at the exit door of my life and quietly wait for it to open.
But waiting is not an invitation to withdraw. It’s an invitation to be fruitful.
There is still a garden to tend. There are still people to love. There is still growth happening, even if I can’t yet see where it is leading.
So I remind myself of this, and maybe you need the same reminder. Don’t put your life on hold while you wait for what’s next. What you do in this season matters more than you think.
Until next week,
©2026 Katherine Walden
