Excitedly Humble

Everyone has a different relationship with waiting. For some people, it’s easy. They don’t mind waiting in lines. They are okay being placed on hold. They are content and satisfied to wait on the Lord for what He has in store.  Waiting—no matter on what it is—does not cause irritation or strife.

Does that sound like you? It does? Great! The Lord has blessed you immensely. The Lord has blessed me immensely too, but this is unfortunately not one of those areas. I mentioned in my last blog post that perseverance has been a key theme in my walk with the Lord. For each person, there will be a different catalyst for the need for perseverance—maybe even multiple. For me, I believe the catalyst has primarily been waiting.

You may be wondering, what are you waiting for? There is no humor in that question, but to me, it’s comical. The reason being…what haven’t I been waiting for?

At some point in my life, there has always been something I am looking forward to—something I have been waiting for. I am not talking about the excited waiting you feel when you are looking forward to something like the holidays, a birthday party, or wedding. I am talking about a discontented longing for something, a desire for things to be different. I already used the word but this, my friends, is discontentment, and this has been the thorn in my side for as long as I can remember. When you are discontent, you are constantly waiting, even if it’s for something small.

When I was younger, I wouldn’t have been able to explain to you that I was discontent, but now, looking back, it is blatantly obvious. I never liked school. I was horribly insecure, so that made the social aspect hard, but it also caused a lot of anxiety and stress academically. School did not come easily to me, so the high expectations I had for myself combined with the image I was trying to maintain, resulted in me being in a constant state of stress.

My thought process was consistently, “If I could just get to…then it will be better.” For example, “if I could just get to college, it will be better,” or “If I could just start working full time, it will be better.” I have been living in a state where there is a longing for something that I am not currently experiencing. Even now, my desire for marriage and children is very strong—so strong that it has been feeling like bondage recently. There are also careers that I would prefer over the one I am currently in. The “if I could just…” statements have changed over time, but this is still a very present struggle of mine.

A quick note: I am not saying it is a bad thing to have desires, or even preferences, if they are godly desires. Take marriage, for example. Marriage was created by God and is a beautiful thing used to exemplify His love for His church and to glorify Him. It is not sinful to desire to have a husband or wife to share your life with and experience all that marriage has to offer. It is when these godly desires become idols that it becomes a problem. If you are putting whatever desire you have before God, that is a sin, and the desire is now unhealthy.

Going back to me being discontent, this has also become evident in the types of books I would read. I loved, and still do, fantasy books. I loved the worlds authors would create and the characters they so carefully crafted. They were a way for me to live a different life than the one I was living. They allowed me to immerse myself in a life that was more interesting than mine and to pretend that I was someone who I wasn’t. Like I mentioned, I still really do love this genre, but, along with other reasons that I will touch on some other time, I no longer read these types of books because of where my thoughts go.

The funny thing is, if you were to ask me what that “something” was that would make things better, I wouldn’t be able to tell you what it was. I couldn’t have then, and I still can’t now. For a while, I was under the impression that whatever I was longing for would make me happier— again, in what ways I couldn’t tell you—but I no longer believe that. I am not under the impression that if I get married and have kids, all my struggles will go away. Yes, life changes like marriage and having kids can improve your life, but God is the only one that can truly satisfy. Even with that perspective, I still find myself battling discontentment while I wait on the Lord.

Waiting for tangible things like marriage or a career change are not the only thing I have been waiting on for the past couple of years, though. With the tangible desires, waiting it still difficult, but at least there is something that you can make sense of. For example, I am waiting for marriage, so the expected end to that waiting season would be getting married. In my opinion, waiting becomes immensely harder when you are waiting for something you cannot see.

These past four years have been a waiting season for me. Yes, I include marriage and career change in that, but I have also been waiting for the Lord to change my heart. I have been praying for years that the Lord would change my heart so I wouldn’t seek other things to satisfy me. I have been asking Him to change my heart so that I wouldn’t be discontent with where He has me—that I would be satisfied with each season He has me in. At this point, it feels like it is my nature to be discontent. It is subconsciously where my mind goes, and I do not know how to change that. I have been praying that the Lord would change my heart so that won’t be the case anymore, but I have not seen that happen. He has done a lot in me this past year, but this thorn is still in my side.

Being in a constant cycle of waiting and discontentment has not been easy. It has led to frustration, depression, and sin. I share all this to say that waiting comes in all shapes and sizes. We will most likely be waiting on something in every stage of our lives, but what we do and how we handle it will determine the outcome. As I look back on the last four years, I can confidently say I have not waited well. Would I go back and change that? Yes and no. Of course, I wish I would have handled it better, but my failures have also helped teach me lessons that are far too valuable to give up. Again, this is something I am still walking in, so I can’t say I have everything figured out. After not having done so, I desire to wait well, and I hope you do too.

What Does the Bible Say About Waiting and Discontentment?

I am sure, to no one’s surprise, the Bible says a lot about waiting and discontentment. Here are just a few pieces of truth:

Waiting

• “…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31ESV)
• “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27: 14 ESV)
• “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” (Lamentations 3:25 ESV)
• “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 30:18 ESV)
• “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:7-8 ESV)
• “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV)
• “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” (Psalm 130:5-6 ESV)
• “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” (Psalm 33:20-22 ESV)
• “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” (Psalm 37:7 ESV)
• “Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.” (Psalm 37:34 ESV)
• “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” (Psalm 62:5 ESV)

Discontentment

• “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. (Philippians 4:11-13 ESV)
• “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’’” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV)
• “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 ESV)
• “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4 ESV)
• “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:6-10 ESV)
• “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” (Psalm 34:10 ESV)
• “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV)

What Does Waiting Produce?

• Trust in the Lord
  • This isn’t the case in every situation, but waiting removes control. If you are waiting for something or on someone, the control lies with that thing or that person. You have very little say until it is the right time. Waiting seasons, especially prolonged ones, require you to give up control and to trust in the Lord. The Lord’s will and plans will come to fruition no matter what you do, so all there is to do is wait on the Lord and trust in His plan for you. Trying to make something happen out of your own strength will only harm you.
• Humility
  • Waiting on the Lord also produces humility. Just as the lack of control in a waiting season shows the need for trusting in the Lord, it also reveals how powerless we really are. We cannot control time or make things happen. Only the Lord can do that, so waiting seasons produce a necessary humility within us that will only help magnify our need for our Savior.
• Steadfastness
  • Waiting seasons have the potential to really put someone’s faith to the test. They are not easy, and each one of us will have a choice to make: keep pushing forward to the prize ahead, even if it’s a slow trudge, or turn our backs on God in bitterness and anger. Waiting seasons have the power to strengthen our faith or to reveal the cracks that were already there and to send it crumbling to the ground. The choice is ours.
• Patience/Endurance
  • Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, and a waiting season is an ideal place to cultivate that fruit. If you are in a waiting season, you are waiting for something, and the season will not be over until that thing is fulfilled or the Lord redirects you. If you are waiting impatiently for the Lord to move, it will be a hard season. Discontentment will begin to fester, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you found yourself miserable at certain points. Accepting the delay and, again, trusting the Lord will help the fruit of patience grow within you.   
• Greater Love for the Lord
  • Waiting seasons do not last. There is no telling how long each season will be, but there will always be an end to it. Our Lord is so kind in that, when you are on the other side of a waiting season, it becomes clear as to why He placed you in one. Your love for Him will grow stronger because not only will you see the purpose of the season and the growth it produced, but you will also see just how much He loves you. He is a kind and loving Father who loves each of us deeply.

How Do We Wait Well?

Honestly, I wish I were able to say to you that throughout my season of waiting, I have mastered this and am waiting well every single day. That is so far from the truth though. I struggle with this every day and try my best to do the things I am going to list below. These suggestions are not a “one-and-done”. They are daily, hourly—even by the minute—practices that help counteract our sinful human nature. It’s about the heart and whether you desire to do these things, not whether you are perfect at them. You will notice that the word “seek” appears in front of these practices, and that’s because we should seek to do these things, not that we will succeed at them consistently. I am not going to lie: if being content in a waiting season is something you struggle with, at least from my experience, this is going to be very hard and very draining. The Lord is worth the fight, though, no matter how long it takes. So, with that being said, here are few practices that I try to do counteract the discontentment in my waiting season:  

• Fix your eyes on the Lord
  • Remember what He has given you. Just because you may not have the thing you desire, doesn’t mean He hasn’t blessed you abundantly. Choose to think of those things.
  • Seek to give up control. God knows what is best. We may think we do, but God is the author of our story, and His plan is far greater than anything we could even fathom. Stop seeking what you think is best and let Him lead. This is so much easier said than done, so have grace for yourself and start by making it a daily habit.  
  • Submit your desires to Him. This is necessary every time a desire pops into your head. Surrender it to Him. He already knows what you desire, so let Him have it. Again, this is much easier said than done and it requires awareness of the thoughts running through your mind.
  • Replace those thoughts with Scripture. We may not have complete control over the thoughts that pop into our minds, but we can redirect them to something godly. Whenever a desire arises, redirect your thought away from it so it cannot take hold and lead you down a wrong path. Replace the thought with Scripture or pray for someone. This also requires awareness of your thoughts, but it is doable—I can attest to that.
  • Seek to set aside preferences. We all have preferences about what we think is best. That is not a bad thing, but again, we do not know what is truly best. Our view is limited, so what we think is best may not even come close to what God has in store. We can bring these preferences to the Lord, but we must leave them at His feet.  
  • Seek more trust in the Lord.  Trusting that the Lord has our best interests in mind will help us get through even the toughest waiting season. Trust can be hard to give, so we must seek His help in this area.
• Pray. Ask God.
  • Even if they are worldly desires, the Lord wants you to bring them to Him. There are many places in the New Testament that speak about bringing your desires to God. An important note to make here: just because you ask doesn’t mean He will grant it. Again, He knows best and has a greater plan. Whatever aligns with His will, He will do.
    • Matthew 7:7
    • Philippians 4:6
    • James 1:5
    • John 14:13-14
    • Mark 11:24
    • 1 John 5:14
    • Luke 11:9
    • James 4:2

Just to reiterate, just because you ask does not mean you will get what you are asking for. God wants you to bring your desires to Him. It’s about an open dialogue, not the outcome of that dialogue. I stress this because a misinterpretation of these Scriptures can be very harmful.

• Trust in the Truth and God’s Promises
  • God has made a lot of promises. Trust in them, because He does not go back on His word. Here are just a few verses to cling to:
    • Philippians 1:6
    • Jeremiah 29:11
    • Proverbs 3:5
    • Matthew 6:25-27
    • Psalm 20:6-7
    • Romans 8:28
    • Psalm 37:3-5
    • Hebrews 13:5
    • Luke 12:15
    • Matthew 6:33
    • Philippians 4:19
    • Isaiah 26:3
    • 1 Corinthians 7:17
    • Proverbs 16:8
    • Proverbs 28:25
    • Psalm 23:1
    • Psalm 37:16

Like I mentioned, this is still a struggle for me every day. I have been in a waiting season for many years now, and I don’t see an end in sight. I would be lying if I said that didn’t bother me. It does, but I also know that my ways are not God’s ways. His ways are better, and His plans are better, so I remind myself of that daily, practice the thought exercises, and pray.

There were a few things the Lord brought to mind today, February 2^nd, 2026, that have helped ground me in the midst of a discontentment flare-up, as I’ll call it. I started a Bible reading plan and it had me read the first three chapters of Gensis. I have read these multiple times before, but it really hit me this time around just how much God provided. He created everything that we could ever need. Adam and Eve were lacking nothing—that is, until Eve wanted the one thing she could not have. It was a sneaky trick from satan, but the discontentment accomplished exactly what he was hoping for.

I also recently started rewatching the fifth season of The Chosen, and the weight of what Jesus did settled over me once again. Knowing what was going to happen, He willingly went to the cross so that I—so that all of us—could have eternal life. He suffered in every way, even in ways none of us ever will. He did that willingly, and here I am, sad because I’m going to be twenty-seven this year and am not married. I am not saying this to downplay our desires. God cares about them, but it’s important to put them in perspective. If He had blessed us no further than taking our place on the cross, it would be enough. (I heard this phrasing in one of the Season 5 episodes of The Chosen and loved it.) May we all remember what Jesus did for us and be satisfied with that.