God is always providing us with new opportunities and calling us to varied roles in our life. Sometimes we may feel like we are not doing what we think He is calling us to do. Maybe we feel like we should be achieving greater things while we cultivate the same field year after year. Maybe, like me, you feel like you are called to a task when you want to be doing something else. I am not complaining, but as I continue to slog through our move and renovations my heart yearns to get back to my writing and Bible Study. I have yet to clear a path through the boxes and bags to get to the chair at my desk. Maybe, like me, you feel you are in a hot summer desert right now and are longing for a new season.

If so, consider this from Proverbs 6:6-8;

Take a lesson from the ants…they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.

There are so many reasons why our lives may be topsy turvy right now, but our time in the desert is not a destination. It’s a preparation for God’s unfolding plan for each of us. Sometimes we are called to walk through this world with a smiling face while we struggle through an uncertain time. We are called to find joy in all of our days, and at the same time to remember that the days in the desert prepare us for that next opportunity. (Ecc 11:8)

It’s difficult to leave a place where we are happy and productive and be forced to rest in what feels like a place of isolation. Yet, when we accept that God weaves times of waiting into times of work, we will find enrichment and blessing in our desert. Whether we are running a company or polishing furniture, we are called to follow where God leads us.

This week, it took encouragement from my daughter, Meredith, to lift me up. “Mom, embrace and enjoy what you are doing right now. You’ll get back to your writing and Bible study more quickly!” I hope you’ll follow these wise words with me. They remind us that God is working, and God is faithful in the waiting.