Letting God Take His Time

Well, well, well – what a weekend, my friends!

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween! New York City celebrates the weekend before, so I had my fill of costume parties and spooky fun!

Friday night was a long overdue catchup session with my bestie, and Sunday, we had a scary movie night and dinner party!

Saturday night, however, I had a couple friends over to my place before hitting up a loft party in SoHo, and I’m telling you – the future is now.

Hear me out: Before having my friends over – I was running late, so I ordered a couple bottles of alcohol on an app on my phone to be delivered to my apartment in 30 minutes. During the get together, I instantly played the exact music I wanted, on my phone. Heading to the party, we ordered an Uber that instantly picked us up and took us to the party. And then at the door, we bought tickets on our phone, which were delivered virtually right then and there, and we got in to the party.

I mean – isn’t that how the world operates now? Instantaneous gratification?

We want something — BAM — two taps on our phone and we’ve got it.

There’s no waiting, no need for patience. Like Arianna Grande so eloquently sings: “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it.”

Sunday rolled around, and on my jog, I was listening to a sermon, and it turned out to be incredibly timely. It put everything into perspective from the night before — specifically about God’s speed.

Because spoiler alert, it is much different than the fast paced life we’ve grown accustomed to in 2019.

One of the biggest challenges — at least I face — in my faith life, is letting God take His time.

I can be incredibly impatient, so giving God space and time to work on my heart and renew my spirit — it’s something I continually have to work on.

The saying, “haste makes waste” is acutely applicable here. If you want something done well, you have to do it right. You have to take your time and go through the complete process. It’s not an instantaneous thing, or a PDF download that we can simply copy/paste into our hearts.

God’s process of renewal — which, additionally, is what recovery actually is at its very core — is a gradual transformation. Read: a slow process. It’s a gentle evolution of revival, into the person God created me to be. And it’s an all-encompassing process to say the least.

I think what we forget is that, not only do truly good things take considerable time, but also, transformation can be uncomfortable. We’re stretched, we’re smooshed, we’re shaped this way and that, as the pliable hunks of clay that we are.

And sometimes, we have to endure difficult things in order to learn a necessary truth before we’re ready to move forward on our path.

We’ve got to allow God to take His time as He is working in our lives. We cannot rush Him. We cannot skip ahead, or fast forward, just because we’re impatient or eager to get to the finish line.

There is only the ultimate finish line: in Heaven. And life is the marathon. And as someone who has been recovered from anorexia for 12 years now, that dedication to my recovery is now part of my race course, like it or not.

And the most powerful action I can make to that commitment is to let God take His time as I walk that beautifully intentional road, day after day.

There are lessons I have learned now, in 2019, that I was not ready to learn back in 2012, or 2007, or even just months ago. Sure, it was the same recovery, but God has taken me through a deeper transformation since then, allowing me the ability to grow and evolve to where I can learn those lessons.

And that’s true whether you’re in recovery or not.

God is always at work – and like all skilled craftsmen, He doesn’t rush a masterpiece.

Instant gratification, sure it’s great if you need a car service, or if say – you’re having a Halloween party and no alcohol in your house.

But not when it comes to God’s process of transformation. Now when it comes to working on the incredibly intricate and unique creations that are you and me.

“This is what the Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” Ez 37:5

A big thank you to my foundational sponsor, BetterHelp Online Therapy. I cannot begin to express how beneficial therapy was for my recovery from anorexia.  Speak with an online therapist. Or check out content about eating disorders from BetterHelp.

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104 responses to “Letting God Take His Time”

  1. I am such a huge fan of this post! It’s literally always such a great reminder to SLOW DOWN. I know personally I’m always running so fast paced I miss out on a ton of things God is teaching me. Or I just try and push Him to move faster which…obviously never works. 😂
    Thanks for the reminder!

    • Hi friend! oh good!!! i’m SO glad you enjoyed it and that it resonated with you! amen – slowing down is, IMHO, the solution to A LOT of different things! hahah- you’re right, that never works hahahahha thanks for stopping by! big hugs xox

  2. Transformation is such a key concept. I’ve written about it here, but a commenter at his own blog, Orthosphere, had a poignant point, which i’ll repost here for the benefit of all:

    Regarding formation:
    It’s a tricky word, to be sure. I think we should recognize two very different meanings. There is the ordinary meaning to reshape, as when I form bread dough into a ball, and the Platonic meaning to impart an essence. I can form and reform a wad of play dough without any change to its essence. I can form a block of wood into a sculpture, and yet it remains wood. If I burn the wood, however, I effect a more fundamental transformation, and the wood with all its characteristic properties is no more.

    Faith formation should obviously be of the second sort. It should not be just a haircut. As one of our hymns puts it, we acquire a “new heart.” And heart here means soul. The new heart we acquire is not just one replacement part in our system, but a new control that transforms every part in the system. If we liken ourself to that block of wood, we are not being carved. We are being burned.

    Such transformations take, above all, time, but we emerge a new creation.

    Thank you for this thought provoking post.
    AMDG
    -Scoot

    • You’re so right about that Scoot! The fundamental transformation is that of God. That new heart is such a gift that God generously blessed us with! So glad you stopped by. Thanks for the food for thought! Hugs and love xox

  3. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14

    How often did Jesus respond to people that His time had not yet come? We read in John 8:6 that “Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear” when the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. I’ve heard comments that many people would like to know what He was writing. There’s another school of thought that He was just doodling until His time came to Him from the Father to speak as instructed. I think it was the latter.

    If Jesus had to wait, I guess we can too! I trust all is well there!

    • Oh wow i love that verse Jeff – thanks for sharing it. And oh my gosh – so true. Hahaha oh my gosh I’ve never heard that but it made me laugh. True! And yes! All is well!! Busy last couple weeks – two shoots back to back with LOTS of copy — think 30 pages, only me. Yikes. It’s tomorrow morning at 7:30 am!!! If you can spare a prayer I’d greatly appreciate it!! Hope all is well with you!! Hugs to you and your girls! Xox

      • Yay you! Is the shoot something we can see sometime? Wow! I don’t know if you saw my post last Wednesday telling about my hospital stay last week; it was quite the episode, including an ambulance ride through a tornado. Thank God all ended well. YES! Prayers right now and tomorrow! All the best to you!

      • yes it is!!! i’ll pass it along as soon as it is released. and OH MY GOSH JEFF. I am so sorry to hear that !! how incredibly scary. i hope everything is okay!!!!!!! oh my gosh, i will absolutely keep you in my prayers. my goodness, i am sending you the biggest hug through the screen. hang in there my dear friend. praise God you’re alright. let me know if there’s anything i can do!

      • Yes, I’m OK now. Need to see my cardiologist to rebalance my BP meds. My BP was so low They were amazed I wasn’t unconscious. But all is well now. The hospital gave me some new BP scripts till I see my doc. Your prayers are appreciated! I’ll look forward to seeing your project when released!!

  4. I liked your cheerleading out fit, and simply LOVED your picture at the bottom… beautiful! <3
    Most of all, I really enjoyed your message. It can be so hard to wait on God. Praise His name for His long suffering patience.
    Praying for you, dearest Caralyn! God loves you! <3

    • Awww thank you Gail! Haha yes! I always wanted to be a cheerleader growing up but I played soccer and basketball so I couldn’t. So I thought I’d was a great excuse to get an outfit!! It was so fun! Hahahah but thank you my friend. Long suffering patience – amen to that. Big hugs to you Gail! Xoxoxk and thanks for the prayers xox

      • I was a cheerleader many moons ago for 3 yrs (from 10 to 13) and loved it. I always wamted to have a little girl to put her in an outfit. Any excuse works just fine. 😉 I love watching those cheerleading competitions on ESPN.
        You are cheerleader for God every time you write, speak up, or reach out to someone. And when troubles try to get the best of we have His word to remind us to Be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world. 🙂
        Send a hugs to you and your mom too. <3

      • Oh so fun!! And yes me too!! Such incredible displays of athleticism! And awww gosh i am so touched. Thank you!! God is good!

    • thanks so much! oh you’re right about that – i am super impatient. something i need to work on for sure! glad you stopped by! hugs xox

    • The Red Sea stayed open long enough for the whole national of Israel to pass through and for the Egyptian army to get well into the space – and then God closed the waters.
      The Red Sea opened when Moses followed his Gods command to spread the rod over the sea, so it wasn’t at a specific time, the nation didn’t have to race to get there, they just had to get there.
      Sorry to be contrary

    • Yes He does! ALWAYS on time. Thanks for that Noel. Hope you have a great night. Hugs and love xox

  5. This is very well said. It is said that the best comes to those that wait. Of course prayer is important too. I have waited for things for a while, and most of what I wanted I never got. I have also seen people rush in, and have disasterous results. I hope that YOU have a very Happy Halloween.

    • Hi Hannah! Oh good! I’m so glad this resonated with you!! You’re so right – He uses it ALL! Thanks! I should be getting ready for bed right now!!! 🤣😬🤦🏻‍♀️ haha Hugs and love xox

  6. It sounds like a lot of fun and cheer.

    When I saw you had written a reminder to be patient for God, it both got me to think that is always good advice, and made me wonder if wouldn’t it be strange on the part of The Lord if he slowed down the way on the path to your post for this evening? Lucky enough, I didn’t feel any disfavor–but I know I would have worried He might be frowning if there were signs sent of a computer crash! Goodwill worked the charm.

    • SO MUCH fun and cheer! Haha oh gosh – a computer crash – wouldn’t that have been ironic!! Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and love xox

  7. Waiting on God’s timing is hard and requires patience, trust and faith. God has been patiently teaching me this lesson in various ways over the years.
    But that wait will be rewarded as we get pruned and refined and strengthened during that waiting period. Our answer to that waiting may not fit our time schedule, may not be what we thought it was going to be like but it will surely be better and will come exactly when it is was supposed to.
    Blessing to you Caralyn.

    • Thanks so much for this thoughtful reflection!! It really does require lots of patience trust and faith. Amen to that – be better and perfectly timed!! Same to you! Hugs and love xox

    • You’re so right about that! A slow down and a healthy dose of Patience! Thanks for stopping by!! Hugs and love xox

    • Thanks so much! Oh my gosh – I am honestly so touched by that. What a compliment!!! Hugs and love xox

  8. I do wonder (often) about the pace of life, and sometimes you literally have to slow yourself down and say “what’s the rush!”, this earth has been here so long, we are not some new thing just our own thing, a blessed unique thing here right now at this moment, oops, just passed one, oops, and another, darn, there goes another! so at times it pays to step off the train and look around, the world is not perfect but there is certainly plenty to take in, so much bigger than ourselves, a quick look up at night confirms everything, not that we should forget the here and now but there is delight and light all around…. as usual thx for the inspirational pat on the old back….

    • Thanks David. What’s the rush indeed – that’s something I need to ask my self too!! Very true. Hugs and love xox

  9. This is NOT a subject our messed up values and culture appreciates. So very, very true though. God is changing us and building character and values in us to be more like Jesus and that takes time. We MUST learn to work with our Lord as He moulds us. “We are His workmanship/ masterpiece …..” (Eph 2:10)
    Thank you for your continual encouragement Caralyn. You are a blessing!

    • Thanks Michael! Yes! I love that verse – so comforting and encouraging. Very true!! Hugs and love xox

  10. God is not slow respecting his promise – as some consider slowness but he is patient with us all as he desires that we attain repentance. A well rehearsed verse in 2nd letter of Peter. Often viewed to be concerned with solely proselytising. But it also allows the process describe by the Apostle Paul as a metamorphosis in the letter to the Romans. We begin to understand that time with God is measured differently.
    But, although he is close to each one of us we must – listen, obey and keep his commandments.
    One command that the Popes failed to uphold was “you must be holy” “touch nothing unclean”. Today the church supports celebrations like All Hallows Eve, Samhain a pagan celebration.
    We who know God know he would never want us to terrorise one another by pretending to be someone who has taken their stand against him. These evil spirits abandoned their place with God to exploit humans. Why would he see this as an acceptable celebration when his son gave his life to undo the damage these wicked spirit creatures had caused. Just a passing thought.

    • You’re so right about that Mark – He is patient with us!! And yes He means it’s differently. Thanks for this powerful food for thought. Hugs and love xox

  11. Great thoughts on an important lesson. Reminds me of something someone often said: “Don’t sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.”

    • Thanks so much!! Oh WOW what a saying. I’ve never heard that before but wowsers that a powerful truth!! Hugs and love xox

  12. The key element here is “His” time.. For God, there is no concept of time. He can do things instantly, or he can take “his” time. The difference is to know and trust that he’ll never be late.
    God knows what he is doing.
    A few months ago, I lost a friend to cancer. She had such tremendous faith and believed that God would heal her. As a result, she decided on natural homeopathy for medication and stuff. We were all praying and believed God would honor her faith. Often when we read the bible, Jesus himself claims in many of his miracles, “Your faith has made you whole.”.
    During her last moments, we had to ask, “what is God waiting for?” Was God waiting to raise her like he did Lazarus?
    We believe in an almighty God who can calm the storm, raise the dead, etc.
    So many others around me are being healed of cancer and why not my friend. There were questions and then it just hit me, who can force the hand of God? The answer.. No one…

    I can have questions, but I have to trust that God is always in control and he knew what was best for my friend. We just need to have faith that God is never late. He is always on time; His time. Even as in the case of Lazarus, Jesus wasn’t late.. He was on time.
    We can’t be discouraged and ask why does one person get instantly healed while another has to wait and go through a process.

    God will do what he has planned and he will do it in His right time.

    • You’re right about that! HIS timing. And wow I love that – he’s just never late. Oh gosh I’m so sorry about your loss. That is so heartbreaking. Saying prayers for you and her family during this difficult time. Your faith is inspiring. Sending so much love xox

      • Thank you for your support Caralyn.
        I did feel a little out of place when all those around me were crying and I found myself standing there like some emotionless statue. To those who saw me, could have mistaken me someone who really didn’t care for her at all.
        I actually told one person, “I think it is cruel that you can cry and I can’t.”
        I remember discussing it with my pastor at the time and he just said, “That’s a sign of strength.”
        I don’t know. I guess we all react to loss in different ways.

        https://julxrp.wordpress.com/2019/06/04/farewell-to-dear-friend/

        One of the good things that I can say is that although we lost a friend, I did gain a sister. My brother and her sister will be getting married in a few weeks.

        I’m often reminded by the words of Jessie Duplantis – “They not in your past, they’re in your future.”
        The good thing about us Christians is that we really don’t lose anyone. It’s just like they have immigrated to another country and we will be joining them there when our time comes.
        So I know that I will see my friend again. That is the comfort, the good news.. Our Good News.

      • Jessie is spot on about that – and what a comfort that truth is. Hugs and love xox

    • Thanks so much! Haha I don’t know that song but I’ll have to look it up! Glad you stopped by, Jim! Hugs and love xox

    • Thanks so much Johanna! I appreciate you stopping by! Hope you have a great day! Hugs and love xox

  13. We cannot rush him. I like that. I too am impatient. Not sure if fear sometimes test my patience or instant gratification. Maybe a little bit of both. Nice post. So not sure if in the picture you had on a cheerleader costume. But in my head the AHS stood for American Horror Story which I’m guessing you probably don’t watch

    • Thanks so much! Yeah i am right there with you – maybe a little bit of both for me too. Oh haha yeah – don’t watch it – AHS is just a high school 🙂 hehe Hugs and love xox

  14. On our last mission to Liberia we were reminded that a pineapple plant usually only grows a single fruit. And it takes a full year to mature. There’s no way to rush the process. Pearls are built up, on top of a small grain of sand or other irritant, one layer after another. It ultimately creates a thing of great beauty, but if you could find a way to “skip” ahead in the process, the end result was something less than it should have been, When we try to rush God, or wish that we could skip ahead, we shortchange the process and become something less than we should have been. Trust the process. Trust the creator.

    • Oh wow what a powerful metaphor! (And interesting factoid!) amen to that – truth the process and creator. I like that! So glad you stopped by! Hugs and love xox

  15. You’ve made an excellent point here. We as a human race are deeply flawed after sin entered through the decision of our original parents and we do need that transformation you refer to. Most people realize this even in non-Christian religions. But trying to do something about that to improve ourselves does not work out and can be discouraging to the point of giving up trying if we fail to understand God makes the changes and He does it over our lifetime and in His time. We are a spectacle in front of the unfallen universal creation, our cousins up there beyond our sight to show how generous God is even to those who don’t deserve His love. Just relax and let God make these changes in us.

    • Thanks so much Ian! You’re so right – we’ve just got to relax and Let God make those changes in us! Glad you stopped by! Hugs and love xox

  16. So well conveyed with words about what we find difficult to conclude and think on our own. Thanks! And reading the comments on your post makes me realise there are plenty others who are in same waiting line for God to take his time and they can watch the transformation God planned! No one’s alone!

    • Thank you so much! Oh yes – we are all in the same boat! Such a comforting thought! Hugs and love xox

  17. Here in Virginia we still have horse and buggy delivery drivers. Just kidding. I live near NASA and Langley Air Force Base. Back in the 1960s they used to say “if it feels good do it”, which was a selfish instantaneous philosophy. The major flaw in that reasoning is not only does it often lead to self-destruction, but also other people around that person tend to get their feelings hurt. I just passed 25 years of sobriety, and it was one of the smartest decisions I ever made. I went from the excitement of bartending in my wild college days, to a boring 56-year-old bachelor these days. However, I try to find fascination in the beautiful virtues of art, nature, and science. I don’t get many viewers or subscribers, but I enjoy uploading my Youtube trivia videos anyway. Not many people have read my newspaper articles and humorous history quizzes over the past five years, but I take solace in the fact a few people have told me they liked them.

  18. Nice post. I guess I am nowhere near His finished masterpiece😅. Especially after I diverted through many years of bullemia. Well done on your 12 years strong.

    • Thanks Nigel for sharing your story. We’re all on a journey! And I’m cheering for you on yours 🙂 sending big big hugs xox

  19. Hello. On an unrelated note, do you take suggestions for blog posts? I have an idea. I remember that you make homemade guacamole. Instead of buying the pre-made dip, I just bought six whole avocados. I can never seem to tell when they are ripe. Three are firm when I press them with my thumb, and three are softer. However, in the past when I cut open the softer ones, sometimes they are too ripe (or even rancid) or sometimes they are not ready yet. It seems I waste two or three out of every six avocados. I really do detest food waste. Do you have any tips or thoughts on this situation? I have tried the brown paper bag trick that I use with bananas. I think it might make for an interesting blog post, as you do seem to get a lot of raves for your guacamole recipes. Thank you.

  20. Thank you for linking to Better Help. I was able to find a good article on a topic I need help with and a resource book to order..
    Go’d timing is very different from our but like you said it is on time when we are ready.

    • Thanks so much Kate – I’m so glad it was helpful to you! They’re a great service. You’re right about that! When we’re ready! Hugs and love xox

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