Don’t Wait

Truth be told, I expected to be in the middle of brain surgery as this blog was being published.

Instead, here I am writing about waiting.

I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

I think God still has something He wants to teach me—and perhaps something He wants to teach through me.

That led me back to one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1

John doesn’t begin his Gospel with a manger.

He doesn’t begin with shepherds, angels, or wise men.

He doesn’t even begin with the birth of Jesus.

Instead, he takes us back before Bethlehem…before creation…before time itself.

John wants us to understand something before we understand anything else.

Jesus didn’t come into existence in Bethlehem. He has always been. He is the eternal Son of God. The Creator. The One through whom all things were made.

Everything else John writes rests on that foundation.

Then John makes a statement that has captivated me for years.

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:4-5

Think about those words for a moment.

John doesn’t simply say Jesus gives life.

He says life is in Him.

Every heartbeat.

Every sunrise.

Every breath.

Every opportunity we are given finds its source in Jesus Christ.

Several chapters later, Jesus tells us why He came.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10

The One who is life came so that we could truly live.

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As many of you know, there has been a great deal of uncertainty in my life recently.

My second brain surgery has been postponed more than once. There have been days filled with waiting—waiting on blood work, waiting on phone calls, waiting on decisions, and ultimately waiting on God’s perfect timing.

Waiting has never been one of my strengths.

I like plans.

I like checklists.

I like knowing what’s next.

But over these past few weeks, God has been teaching me something I never expected.

Waiting on His timing doesn’t mean my life is on hold.

At first, that almost sounds like a contradiction.

How can I write a blog called Don’t Wait while telling you that God is teaching me to wait?

Because they aren’t the same thing.

Scripture is full of people who waited on the Lord. Abraham waited. Joseph waited. David waited. The disciples waited. Waiting on God has always been part of walking by faith.

But nowhere does God ask us to put our faithfulness on hold while we wait.

He doesn’t ask us to stop loving.

He doesn’t ask us to stop worshiping.

He doesn’t ask us to stop serving.

He doesn’t ask us to stop living.

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I wonder if one of the thief’s greatest lies isn’t simply that he comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

Maybe one of his greatest lies is this:

“You have time.”

Tomorrow you’ll forgive.

Tomorrow you’ll start reading your Bible.

Tomorrow you’ll take that trip.

Tomorrow you’ll tell someone how much they mean to you.

Tomorrow you’ll raise your hands in worship instead of worrying about what everyone else thinks.

Tomorrow you’ll serve.

Tomorrow…

But Jesus offers something completely different.

He offers life today.

Not because tomorrow doesn’t matter, but because today is the only day we’ve been promised.

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Recently, someone shared something with me that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.

They told me that my journey had inspired them to stop putting things off—to do things they might have otherwise skipped.

I was humbled by that.

Not because of anything I have done, but because it reminded me that God can use even seasons of waiting to encourage someone else to start living intentionally.

That conversation made me stop and think.

Maybe part of my journey isn’t simply learning to trust God’s timing.

Maybe part of my calling is learning to live fully while I wait.

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There is still uncertainty ahead for me.

I don’t know exactly when my surgery will happen.

I don’t know what tomorrow holds.

But I know the One who holds tomorrow.

The same Jesus who was there in the beginning…

The same Jesus in whom life is found…

The same Jesus who came so that we might have life to the full…

He is still on His throne.

So while I wait…

I’ll love my wife more intentionally.

I’ll spend more meaningful time with my daughter.

I’ll encourage someone who needs hope.

I’ll worship with my whole heart.

I’ll glorify my mighty, mighty God more boldly.

I’ll serve more faithfully.

I’ll keep pointing people to Jesus.

I’ll live life to the full.

Because waiting on God’s timing doesn’t mean my life is on hold.

Don’t wait.