Have you ever prayed for something so hard and so often that it feels like God should have definitely answered your prayer by now? Only to be angry and upset that it didn’t happen when you wanted it to? Yeah, me too. As I have gotten older, I’ve started to realize that things don’t usually happen when I want them to. As frustrating as that can be, it is so much more beautiful when you are patient and let things unfold in the way God has planned.

Story time! Now this story is about how perfectly God’s timing worked out for me, so grab some popcorn and keep reading! Four years ago I went on a mission trip to Cincinnati, Ohio. Flashback to Ripley four years ago and believe it or not, I did not want to be there. I was in such a bad place with myself and my relationship with Christ that I wanted to be anywhere but a mission trip. On the first day of the trip, we played a game with all the other mission teams there. Some people were sheep and others were shepherds and the shepherds had to go find a sheep from a different state. I immediately ran over to the cutest boy I had ever seen and made him my partner. After that initial meeting, we instantly clicked and talked all week.

At the end of the week we exchanged numbers and planned to stay in touch. Little did I know that we would still be talking four years later. For four years we texted, FaceTimed, and called pretty consistently. We were best friends. He even came and visited me that following January! Every time both of us were single, we would dream and talk about how amazing it would be if we could date, but he lived in Chicago and I lived in West Virginia. When I was dating someone, he was single and vise versa. Dating never really seemed like a reality because our timing was just off. We talked about how we didn’t want to force a relationship because it just didn’t feel like God’s timing. We were constantly longing to be in a relationship but knew it wasn’t our time.

Fast forward to today and we have been dating for about two months now and can already envision our lives together. Yes, long distance is difficult, but when you have waited so long for someone so perfect for you, and God has finally given the go ahead, it’s more than worth it.

Waiting for and understanding God’s timing can be impossible, especially for our human minds to comprehend. We live in a society where when we want something, we get it almost instantly. The internet gives us answers in about 1 second, Amazon makes it possible to buy whatever you want without leaving the house, and cars make it possible to drive wherever you want whenever you want. As humans, we are so conditioned to that mindset. BUT…. as Christians and children of God, we need to learn to adopt a new mindset. Instead of praying for something to happen when we want it to, let’s start praying for it to happen when God wants it to. Let’s pray for him to bless our lives when he sees fit. Trust me, it makes it so much sweeter.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33