Why Gratitude is Key When We Have to Wait
All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The last few years have been a time of transition in my life. To give you a little context, in the fall of 2018, I sensed God moving me to resign from my seventeen-plus years as a church staff member. I pursued a master’s degree in theology and graduated in May 2020. The part-time job I took at a local law office provided income for our family while I went back to school and waited expectantly for what I thought would be a position to write for a living.
Had I misunderstood God’s direction?
At first, in all the transition, thanksgiving in prayer felt easy. Over time, however, I wondered if I had misunderstood God’s leading. I asked God if I had made a mistake because nothing seemed to come together like I believed it would. I continued to pray and did my best to thank Him each day, trusting He would reveal His plan even though the writing life did not materialize into a traditional book contract as I had hoped.
I took this past summer off from my law position to seek God further for His will and told the office I would return in the fall if God did not open any new doors in June, July, or August. As the September 1st deadline moved closer on the calendar, inwardly, I began to sense God moving me back to church work, yet I had no further understanding. In obedience, I posted my resume on several online job sites and continued to pray for God’s guidance and direction.
At the same time, after years of focused prayer, my husband and I sensed God leading us away from the church I had worked and attended for almost eighteen years. With all the change and uncertainty, I asked God to help me trust His work, even though I felt lost.
While we looked for a new church home, my husband and I attended a local church near our house. I immediately felt welcome and took the time to email the church a note of thanks when we arrived home after their Palm Sunday service. The church returned my email with an invitation to subscribe to their newsletter. I subscribed, and while my husband and I continued to seek God for His will, I read through their weekly newsletter periodically.
I didn’t have answers—yet.
As this summer drew to a close, everyone around me sought to know the resolution of all the life-changing decisions I had made. Each conversation created confusion in my heart as I looked to God for answers, but He remained silent. Each time a friend approached, anxious to know God’s will, I shared that I didn’t yet have answers but knew God would reveal His will in His time.
A few weeks ago, I noticed, in the church newsletter I signed up for in the spring, that the church was hiring. Curious, I opened the job description links, believing the positions would not match my skills. The worship director position popped up first, and right away, I knew it wasn’t meant for me. The second position, The Director of Media and Communication, piqued my curiosity. As I read the job description, the first part of the requirements I met in my previous church position. The second part listed everything I had learned on my journey to becoming a writer.
Two days later, I filled out an online application with my resume and cover letter. A short time later, I received an invitation for an interview. The meeting went well, and I marveled at God’s timing. The day after the interview, the church asked me to join their team, and I realized how God had been at work all along. I accepted the position and started my new job the day after Labor Day.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 ESV
Gratitude helps us trust God.
If you are in a season where you feel confused and unsure of how God is leading, I pray my story encourages you to continue to seek God with a heart of love and gratitude. Even though you don’t have answers and things might not make sense, thank Him for His never-ending love. Let your prayers of thanksgiving guide you to trust His care while you wait to understand His next steps in your life.
Store up the words of God in your heart. They will come to you when you need them.
Meet Laura D. Garry
Are you longing for spiritual growth? Laura D. Garry, aka The Why Wrestler, believes life-change in Christ is possible as one wrestles with the whys of thoughts, feelings, and actions. A devotional and Bible study writer with a master’s degree in theological studies from the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Minnesota, Laura helps readers wrestle out their whys through Scripture. She believes the answers found in wrestling provide a pathway to growth in Christ. Connect with her at www.lauradgarry.com.
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
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If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.
