Strength in Clay Jars: Heroines Volume VI (Gabby Poston)

            Growing up, my mom loved mason jars. She used them for everything! She had them scattered and placed all over the house for decoration. She would paint them beautiful and vibrant colors. We had MILLIONS of mason jars because every now and then one would become chipped, cracked or completely shattered. This did not matter to my mom—she still had a purpose for every chipped, cracked and shattered jar.

A woman fought hemorrhaging for 12 years until she was healed. The Bible tells us how she visited doctor after doctor, and they all told her there was nothing they could do to help her. One day, Jesus was amongst a large crowd; people were swarming him left and right. The woman reached out and touched the end of His robe. From there the Lord felt the power leave His body. He demanded to know who touched Him.

Overcoming shame, the woman looked up at the Lord. When He saw it was the woman, He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”    

Luke 8: 40-48

Throughout my life thus far, my physical body has been chipped at, has faced several cracks and at times, feels like I am about to completely shatter. From abuse, to injury, to sickness, I have faced the storms of hurt and pain.

2 Corinthians 4 says we have a treasure inside our clay jars . . .

And this treasure we have within our fragile bodies is the strength of the Lord.

Let the world throw its darkness at us, for the Spirit of the Lord lives within us.

Nothing can defeat us.

Shame

Are you ashamed of your cracks?

The woman was ashamed to show her face to the Lord because of her illness. Our God is not ashamed to be our God, no matter what sickness, shame, abuse and pain has caused cracks in our bodies.

For years, I lived with the shame of being physically and sexually abused as a young girl. This created such a big crack in my body, it almost shattered. The Lord not only healed my broken body, but restored my heart. 

The meaning of restoration is to be brought back into existence. When we are fighting any type of brokenness or pain, it affects who we are as individuals.

The Lord is trying to bring us back into existence, to be who we were made to be!

With each crack on my body caused by the world, the Lord has replaced it with a scar of restoration.

The Lord wants to teach you something through your hurt and pain. Let God use your pain. There is a beautiful story to be told.

Faith

“Your faith has made you well.”

What if this is all it took for us to be healed?

Women of God, faith is the answer! Believe in the healing of your cracks. The woman endured 12 years of sickness until she was healed. It took me 12 years to come to terms with the abuse I faced as a young girl. I struggled and went back-and-forth confused as to what to do. Handing my brokenness over to the Lord was one of the best decisions I could have ever made.

The journey gives our pain purpose. Along the way the Lord is restoring our brokenness piece-by-piece. Let the work of the Lord being done inside of you be bigger than what’s trying to defeat you on the outside.

            God has a purpose for every chip and for every crack. The pain you feel will never be wasted when you give it to the Lord. He takes the pain and turns it into strength.

            Your strength will empower you to not only walk but run boldly on the path the Lord has set before you.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Enough: Heroines Volume V (Corinne Burns)

I am a woman. I am a woman created in the image of God. I am a woman with a long list of failures, strengths and weaknesses. I am a woman in need of a Savior. I am a woman who, at times, feels worthless, but I am a woman that Jesus looked at and said, “WORTH it.” I am a woman created with a God-given purpose.

I am a woman, and I am misunderstood.  

Everywhere we look, women are rioting, angry at the world. Social media is in an uproar over the demands, the calling out and the protesting of women all around the world.  

When did women lose sight of who we are created to be?  

When did women feel the need to condemn other women for embracing their God-given qualities, powerful feminine traits and desires?  

When did women quit looking to Jesus as the author of our lives?  

When did we quit looking to Him for our God-given purpose?  

When did we decide that the femininity God has gifted us with isn’t attractive, anymore?  

When did we decide it was okay to trash the guide God has given us on “being a woman” and create our own?  

When did we decide God didn’t know what He was doing, we don’t need inner beauty or the qualities of Jesus?   

Who came to the realization life has to be fair? As far as I’m concerned, it wasn’t “fair” Jesus paid for the sins of this world when He was blameless, yet all we are concerned about are women’s rights.

What about mercy?  

What about grace?  

What about Salvation?

What about forgiveness?  

What about humility?  

What about the fact none of us deserve what we have been given, yet many of us neglect to show even the slightest bit of gratitude?

I am a woman, I am misunderstood, and I am broken for women around the world who have traded their God-given purpose for a pair of gloves and time in the ring that result in a fight that only ends in defeat.  

You want to live with purpose? You want to see change? You want to be respected and revered?  Well, the good news is God wants those very same things for us, and He’s given us exactly what we need to embrace who we are as daughters of the King.

He’s prepared us with the perfect set of armor and weapons to fight the battles He’s created us to fight. The best news . . . He’s prepared us to win them.  

Proverbs 31:10-31 gives us such a beautiful, powerful picture of who God calls us to be and what He calls us to do as women. The wonderful thing is there is NO ONE else created to be who we are or do what we do. That means we are special—it also means we have an important, God-given purpose. So, you may be asking, “What do these verses mean? What is God really telling us here?”

“She works with willing hands.” (She is a HARD worker.)  “She brings her food from afar.” (She works hard for food to feed her family.)  “She rises early in the morning, and provides food for her home.” (She gets up early and prepares her home for the day.)  “She considers a field and buys it.” (She is very wise when it comes to business, she is patient, not impulsive.)  “With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.” (She uses what she has, and she plants to provide with her own hands.)  “She dresses herself with strength, and makes her arms strong.” (She focuses on her heart with Jesus and takes care of her body!)  - Did anyone else feel just a little guilty about the whole working out thing?  I know I did.  Oops!  

“She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.” (She knows who she is, she knows what she has to offer is worth it!)  “Her lamp does not go out at night.”  (She never stops. She’s always one step ahead.)  “She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy.” (She is genuine. She has a heart for others as Jesus does. She reaches out to those in need.)  “She is not afraid.” (SHE. IS. FEARLESS. She knows who holds her future, her faith is indestructible!)  

“Strength and dignity are her clothing.” (She knows where true beauty lies. She is strong, she is CONFIDENT.)  “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” (She is oh so wise. She spreads kindness wherever she goes.)  “She does not eat the bread of idleness.” (She uses her time wisely; she is far from lazy, and she knows time is of the essence.)  “Her children rise up and call her blessed.” (She is respected and revered. Her children call her blessed.)  “Her husband praises her.” (Her husband PRAISES her. Enough said.)

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

A woman after God’s heart has the favor of our Savior! She recognizes that every moment, every person she comes into contact with is ordained by God. A woman of God knows her purpose is greater than proving she is something or someone to the world because she knows she is already someone to God.

A woman of God is fearless. She is confident, blessed, praised, strong and dignified. She is humble. She is wise. She is kind. She is diligent. She is virtuous. She is independent. She is active and full of life. She is constant, committed, efficient, productive and resourceful. She is purposeful. She loves deeply. She is a giver. She is beautiful inside and out. She is selfless. She is worth it. She is respected, and she is revered.  

Corinne

Instagram: @corinnelburns

Trailblazer: Heroines Volume IV (Makenna Runion)

You know that feeling when you finally make it to the gym after 23 years of off-days?

You’re lying on a yoga mat two billion other people sweated on earlier that day and you think to yourself, “Could this possibly be worth it?” You take a deep breath and let Beyoncé give you the energy to lift your head off the matt and pull your knees toward your chest. Then, you feel it. The burn. You stretch your body out and do it again. And there it is, more burn. Over and over again, you repeat this motion. Over and over again, you feel the burn until eventually you either reach your goal or collapse in a sweaty mess because you haven’t done the work to feel the burn leading into today’s workout.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

The burn hurts—we often leave trembling and weak. It doesn't go away immediately. Our muscles ache for days, but if we practice the motions enough, if we are consistent with investing our time, energy and heart, then we become stronger and healthier.

We can fight our enemies with more force and energy (which, in this case, means avoiding the leftover box of Krispy Kreme’s on the corner of my kitchen table).

I want to chat with you today about a different kind of burn, one that leaves us marked deep within our souls and changes who we are forever. I want to talk to you today about our wounds, ones that were given to us from friends who didn’t care, boys who wanted more than they had rights to and parents who were wounded themselves.

Ones that are a result from living in a constant state of debilitating fear and anxiousness. 

Deep, aching pain from love lost and people taken from us without our consent.

Life is not always easy. Sometimes it is so hard it takes every ounce of strength just to leave our beds in the morning, let alone be the strong, vibrant young women everyone expects us to be.

Our fight doesn't end once we get out into the world after having the mess beaten out of us. It carries on when we have to cover our brokenness with smiles, laughs, fake energy and dry shampoo. We feel the need to act like we’re not dealing with very real, excruciating and sometimes ugly problems.

This process leads to isolation and eventually defeat.

Opening up the ugly and broken parts of our hearts hurts. It burns deeply. Sharing the pain of our past and present with even our closest friends takes more courage than we often feel we could ever have. We view the other girls in our lives through a distorted lens, thinking they have it all together. Their jobs are exciting and allow them to work in trendy coffee shops around town. Their boyfriends are doting hotties and have money to buy them fancy Kate Spade bags. They work out more than five times a day and don’t have an ounce of fat on their perfectly styled bodies. They are too perfect to experience shame, fear or depression. They seem to have it all together, which leads us to feel like our pain and wounds make us "different" from everyone else and therefore, undesirable.

This is so wrong.

Everyone has experienced some degree of brokenness.

You are not alone in your pain, confusion and fear. Your wounds do not discount you from what God has destined for your life. Do not fall victim to the lies.

I challenge you, God-authored heroine, to be the one to start the wave of authenticity in your tribe. Take a deep breath and exhale your truth. It is okay to be broken. It will burn, but it is a burn that will make you and others in your life stronger.

Let’s be trailblazers, people who mark and prepare a trail through a forest or field for others to follow.

Let us carry our torches, tell our stories, embrace the burn and create a way for others to experience true freedom in Jesus. 

If we can muster the strength to be vulnerable and authentic, we can be the heroines for our sisterhood. Our pain reaches their pain and tells them it is okay to hurt, there is a Savior who sees their pain and loves them more than they could ever imagine.

Scripture tells us in Isaiah 61 that God replaces our ashes with beauty. He takes our mourning and despair, gives us instead joy and praise (Isaiah 61:3). When we allow our brokenness to be revealed, He redeems it all and gives in return healing, fullness and freedom.

There is great power and strength that comes with the burn of living an authentic and vulnerable life.

Let us pick up our torches and blaze the way for our sisters.

The burn is worth it.

“ . . . To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

-        Isaiah 61:3

Makenna Runion:

      I am a worshiper of Jesus Christ, an adoring wife of Jared Runion, an older sister to Jordan McCroskey, a daughter of two high school sweethearts and a part of a world-changing movement of God in Nashville, TN. I am a hopeless romantic, outdoor fanatic, tone-deaf music lover and major Disnerd. I spend most weekends on an airplane traveling to photograph incredible couples or adventuring with Jared. I have a passion for Gods daughters, a love for their hearts and a vision for their lives. I can shop with the best of them and can a pitch a tent faster than my dad… usually.

Lighting the Spark: Heroines Volume I (Stephanie McGraw)

A little girl sits cross-legged while playing with her beloved stuffed bear, Fuzzy. Her mother is in the kitchen making pancakes while her father sits on the couch next to her flipping through channels on the television. Little girl is content. She loves Saturdays, and pancakes, and Fuzzy. Father’s program cuts to commercials and little girl looks up. On the screen is what appears to be a flawless woman with long legs and yellow hair. She is being chased by a handsome gentleman. They embrace each other. They look so happy. In that moment little girl becomes aware of her undeveloped body and curly brown hair. She will forever associate beauty with the flawless couple that frolicked on the screen.

We were children when we first started to build our definitions of what womanhood meant. While the television was often a dominant educator, we also watched our mothers, and older sisters, and friends to understand who we are, and what we will be. Some images empowered us, and others crippled us. And at some point in our lives we must choose the kind of woman we will be. Some will fixate their eyes on beauty, and others wealth. Some will use their womanhood to birth a lineage, and others will dedicate their lives to seeking justice. For each of us, there is a deep sense and longing for more. Unfortunately, some women have been told to, “be quiet,” or “let a man do it” for so long, that they have become lost to this calling.

It is extremely easy to get swept away in the noise and let false perceptions define you. That is why we want to go to the source of our womanly nature—the author of our very being. Through this series we will be unleashing the vast ways of being a God-authored heroine.

Heroine. The word is literally defined as, “A woman noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.” She is strong. She is fierce. She is unstoppable.

Contrary to popular belief, God loves using women in His story. Scripture is filled with examples of this—Esther, Ruth, Rahab, Mary, just to name a few. He loved using the unlikeliest of people to carry out His will and to be heroines in their time. They defied cultural norms, risked their lives, and took immense leaps of faith to fight for what they believed in. They embodied courage, bravery, and spirit.

It’s easy to look at these women and marvel at their stories and how the Lord used them to make history, but dismiss that same possibility for our own lives. However, there are endless doors of possibility waiting to be opened by the girl who unlocks the potential that God has given her.

She who sees her womanhood as a gift and not an obstacle. She whose character surpasses her beauty. She whose spirit lights the way for others. She who believes the Lord can use her. These are the heroines of our day.

I truly believe that God deeply enjoyed making the woman. Woven in our personhood are the sincerest and most loving characteristics of God. The Lord delights in using the woman. She is His secret weapon and one of His most treasured creations. He grieves when she is oppressed. He rejoices when she is glad. He loves her and is for her.

A God-authored heroine is a woman of enormous character. She loves life, yet holds it loosely. She is always receptive to learning and is always searching for the Lord in every corner of her life.

“She is clothed with strength and dignity,

and she laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25

As God-authored heroines, it is important that we believe in each other and encourage one another. We must highlight more than our sister’s cute shoes, and instead, note her character. We must search deep within our sisters to see their unique strengths and gifts, and lift those up. We must build up what was torn down. When we begin to reconstruct our views of our own womanhood and the women around us, we free ourselves to truly loving one another. We rid ourselves of envy and jealousy that has so often robbed us of our joy and confidence.

It is time that we stopped looking at our womanhood as a curse, or an excuse, or an obstacle, and instead saw it as a gift from the heavens. May we not get stuck looking back that we never move forward. May we use our words to lift up and heal one another. May the Spirit fill us with dreams bigger than our fragile frames that they may overflow into the hearts of others.

We invite you to explore what being a God-authored heroine means in your life. It is our prayer that you would be open to hearing from the Lord to see how He can use your story and womanhood in this world. May these words light a spark in your heart. There is unimaginable adventure in store for she who embarks the life of the God-authored heroine.

“It is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9

STEPHANIE MCGRAW

WordsUnfolding.com

I am a girl, growing every day into shoes too big. I’m a dreamer, always have been. I’ve loved many art forms, but the written word is by far my favorite. I have come to adore the infinite possibilities that characters and syllables and punctuations strung together can become. I believe we are all storytellers and that we all have very special, very unique perspectives begging to be shared and heard. Words have the power to inspire us to do remarkable, courageous things. They sometimes lift our spirit and make us laugh. Other times they make us cry and see the world differently. Words can help us heal and grow stronger.

Just like I am a young woman becoming my own, my story is unfolding with the passing days. I don’t want to miss a beat. I want to savor every word on every page of this story that is my life. I want you to be part of it. To hear my heart. To laugh with me, cry with me, grow with me. I want to hear your story, too. Let’s have a conversation. Let’s love each other well, and use our words wisely to change our worlds for the better.

For me, I believe that this life is far too complex and beautiful to not have an author. I adore my Creator, and am learning from Him and about Him each day. It is for His glory that I write. He’s the truest inspiration.

Supported: We, The Authored Volume V

Supporting characters are foundational elements of fiction books. They are developed, important to the story’s progression, loved by readers and have a specific function: to reveal the main character’s internal lies through relationship, point the character to their mission and encourage them on the journey to the END GOAL.

We are protagonists of our stories but part of our life mission is to elevate the divine calling of someone else’s plotline, to act as the tools needed to equip another character to change the world.

Each of us desires to be the person God chooses for grand, spotlight-catching, earth-shaking plans. However, the truth is not all of us will be world-changers, but we can all be story-supporters. We, the authored, must infect our self-consumed minds with Supporting Character Syndrome and look at the big picture, what’s at stake, and then do what we can to achieve the universal objective.

“In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will . . .” – Ephesians 1:11

Although it may seem discouraging that our stories might not be the ones to spark revivals and massive change, our plotlines are still more intricate than the constellations. We, as characters in a God-authored saga, have been gifted with spirits of authority, voices with power from the Holy One. Because of our existence and fulfilled plotlines, God will change the world. Revivals will spark. History will scream His praise.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us . . .” – Ephesians 3:20

To compact the message of SUPPORTED into a few concise sentences: Our stories are important, but some stories imprint history more than others. Our Author writes us with intentionality, weaves our lives into an ornate tapestry. By investing in someone else’s story, we are developing our own.

I accept the fact I may not be the person God uses to rebuild His kingdom here on earth. I may never be the one who has the honor of speaking to hundreds or thousands of people, who writes a book history remembers. The privilege may never anoint me . . . but it might bestow itself on one of my friends, a girl in my small group, a classmate or coworker. It is my duty as a child of the Most High God to be a supporting character for each of His kingdom-builders, love and encourage them with a relational purpose.

“But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” – 2 Peter 3:13

David and Jonathan are a wonderful example of the righteous bond between two God-authored characters. The loyalty between them, as written in 1 Samuel, demonstrates the relationship we should have with others—bonds through Christ, united by sacred blood and culture of connectedness. Both men had extravagant plotlines written for their lives, but we regard David as the Biblical account’s protagonist. Jonathan was a good steward of David’s story, he recognized God’s authorship in his friend’s life and took a step back so David could step into his ordained fate.

Christ-like leaders follow in Jonathan’s footsteps. They are good stewards of others’ stories, recognizers of God’s authorship, and they take humble steps back so others can step forward, into their ordained fate.

The role of a side character is one of humility. However, through the position, we have the unique opportunity to be included in a multitude of stories.

We, the authored, are supported.

Next week, HEROINES (A Blog Series) begins! The incredible Stephanie McGraw from WordsUnfolding.com will be visiting Girl Meets Publishing World to kick off the series.

Resisted: We, The Authored Volume III

“I was transformed by the program.

Nothing is the same now.

Not me. Not Kyle.

Not the world.

It’s been two years since the Titan first started killing off Legionaries. He challenged us all to a game but killed ninety-percent of our soldiers before the fight for our survival could begin.

My brother is dead. So is Sarah and all of Kyle’s task force.

Europe is a nuclear wasteland.

The other continents have gone dark.

America is barely a flicker on earth’s rotating screen.

And I know that if things don’t change, its meager light will go out.”

-        The Prime Way Program: Divided (Coming fall, 2017)

Conflict sparks a story and keeps it in motion. The first element of plotting an author must determine is the inciting incident, the moment when a character’s life is thrust in a new, life-altering direction. Before the grand conflict, all that exists are a backstory, a character with tremendous flaws and limitless potential. What matters most about the character comes from the pain, the suffering and times when he or she has to either conquer or be conquered. The story itself stems from resistance.

When readers reach the final sentence of a novel, they desire resolution, a sigh-worthy scene where the protagonist at last has what he or she has been fighting to gain. THE END is the end for a reason because once a book or series is finished, the conflict is, in theory, no more. How can we, the authored, live with the expectation that life is meant to be different for us; we should be without obstacles and villains, we should waltz into our dreams as easily as stepping across a threshold?

Without a villain, there cannot be victory.

Without obstacles, a story is an eternal state of THE END.

Obstacles come in various forms. Writers have pinpointed and categorized these struggles: man versus self, man versus man, and man versus world. However, there is one other conflict not included in the list—man versus Satan.

Self is a villain often overlooked. We, the authored, sabotage ourselves. Like any well-developed character, we believe our own lies, we allow insecurities to riot against our calling. Self is an insurgence waging war against the confidence gifted to us as children of the Most High God.

Man is the more notorious villain. In most books and movies, there is an individual wreaking havoc on the protagonist’s life or threatening the world on a massive scale. Although used by storytellers to give evil a face, men can be overcome. They are mortal. They believe their own lies.

World is a villain with power over the physical. It can attack a character’s body and state of wellbeing, but it cannot fully reach an emotional level. The world doesn’t have supernatural authority. However, its ability to deprive is its greatest weapon.

Satan surpasses all villains. He is our greatest enemy, knows when we are weak and works without relent to prevent us from fully experiencing the favor of God. He works . . . but the war against him has been won. We, the authored, have been victoriously rescued and claimed. Our THE END was written before we breathed our beginning. The conflict was resolved before the inciting incident.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John, 16:33

Suffering comes with the question of why, and the answer isn’t sweet and straightforward. It isn’t wrapped in a gift box or include hot tea and fuzzy slippers to comfort us while we deal with its truth. Suffering is the foundation of our story. We live to fight a God-won war, to grow as characters in His saga and reach the victorious THE END. We suffer to manifest the glory of Jesus Christ on earth and magnify His sovereignty.

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10

My intentions for this post are not to woo with poetic language. Instead, I desire only to offer truth and encourage my fellow comrades. We have been called by the Living Christ to enter into a crusade for His glory. We, the authored, suffer so we can have a meaty, rich story that oozes His divine power. The war isn’t easy and will require everything to complete. With urgency and determination, we must clothe ourselves in righteous armor and battle the villains, obstacles, conflict.

We must allow God to conquer our villains by surrendering ourselves to His plot.

Friends, I have been fighting the good fight and I am weary. Conflict rages in the rooms I enter, saturates the air I breathe, but God has declared victory over my heart and soul. He has won the battles I am now facing, so all I must do is endure.

“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” – Exodus 14:14

Our villains do not define us, whether they are memories of sexual abuse, bad relationships, addiction, anxiety or depression, etc. If we have entered into the kingdom of God by confessing our mistakes and asking Him to claim us as sons and daughters, the conflict in our stories has been resolved. We fight with divine armor and God-favor. We are free of fear.

What are your villains? Have you surrendered your pain to God and asked Him to transform your suffering into a glory-rich story?

The protagonist climbed the plot graph, gained and lost, bled and sweat, reached a climax, then plummeted down a falling action. They endured a catastrophic amount of turmoil, yet they’re stronger, wiser. And when their THE END comes, all that once seemed impossible no longer holds relevance. With their THE END comes victory.

Through resistance, they discovered their story.

We, the authored, are won.

From Dawn to Dusk: A Writer’s Guide to Recognizing God’s Presence in the Wait

Time ticks on, yet the metaphorical doors leading to answered prayers remain closed, and the hallway between opportunities stretches as far as the eye can see. What else can be done but wait, hope and pray? How can God be actively at work within a place of stillness?

When I speak at schools and other venues, I often tell people my job is to be rejected. I give thousands of hours to a pixelated stack of white pages on an illuminated computer screen. I pour my heart and soul into each sentence, yet I spend as much time waiting for a YES from publishers and accepting countless NOs as I do composing a novel. I’m on a thousand-hour coffee date with possibilities that may or may not become my reality.

Life is a hallway of locked doors. No matter how much someone knocks, unless it is God’s will, the panels will stay sealed and act as protective barriers between the sovereign plan and one’s desires. Some doors never open; those that might have been concealed from sight or kept from consideration unlock at unpredictable moments.

Opportunities come in fleeting gasps, subtle whispers and screeches of celebration. They’re delivered in blinks and extensive spans. They come when we ache for them, when we least expect them.

Rejection is a large portion of my job, but God-glorified waiting is a lifestyle I have accepted, applied. God-glorified waiting is an attitude of surrender, a faith in His promise to open doors—it is a life of knocking and being content in whichever threshold becomes available.

Waiting is not a passive verb.

God is not bound by time.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Our lives are caged into a block of linear years. We exist in a timeline, but God surpasses chronology. He does not abide by the earthy rules that hold our bodies captive. He works beyond seconds, hours and days. If we have asked Him to be Lord of our lives, we have been adopted into His master plan where nothing can happen too early or too late.

The timelessness of God is a truth we can cling to as we wait for His doors to unlock.

God is not bound by dreams.

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.” Hebrews 10:36

God cares for the desires of our hearts. He does not toy with us, give dreams and not fulfill His promises. If we are divinely called to a destination, He will pave the path.

Our dreams cannot build parameters around God’s power. He has the ability to change our hearts, replace desires with burning passions. He can do immeasurably more with us when we walk the hallway of life, knock and ask for His guidance.

God is not bound by choices.

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14

Salvation through Jesus Christ is the ultimate open door—it makes available to us God’s perfect plan. Grace declares victory over the choices we make, and God’s will prevails.

Waiting is a state of motion where God can reveal His truth and mold our hearts. We must be sure to recognize His voice in the perceived stillness, listen to Him above all else and dwell within the comfort of communication with Him.

Dreams can be fulfilled while walking down a hallway.