What To Do While You Wait

If someone ever told me that fulfilling my singing/songwriting dreams would take me 31 years to accomplish, I'd laugh out loud because that would seem so ridiculous.  But truth be told, that is my reality at the moment...

I'm 31 years old, and I'm still waiting for my music dreams to come to pass.  There are times when I can the realization of those dreams so clearly, like I can reach out and touch them.  But the moment that I reach out is the moment that I realize that it's still too far away.  So there I stand.  Waiting.  Hoping.  There's something within me that does not want to give up, even after all these years. 

So, what do you do while you're waiting, you ask?  Well, a lot of times I grumble and complain that things are not happening as fast as I would like them to.  Other times, I cry my eyes out and say that I never want to sing again.

Neither of those things are good to do while you're waiting for your dreams to come true.  In fact, I believe that these things may even cause you to take steps backwards, away from your dream.   

If you want to forge ahead and take positive steps toward your dreams while you're in the season of waiting, then here are three things that I've learned to do:

1. Increase your prayer time.
Prayer is simply communicating with God.  Often times, when things aren't going our way, we stop communicating with God because we think that maybe He is not listening to us or He doesn't hear us.  That couldn't be further from the truth.

Psalm 145:18 (The Message) says, "God's there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it."  When you communicate with God with a pure heart, He hears you, so keep talking to Him even while you're waiting.

2. Confess God's Word over your life.
A lot of times when we are on the path towards our dreams, we may feel discouraged and begin to think negative things about ourselves, and eventually begin to speak negative things about ourselves. 

Instead of saying those negative words, choose to say what God says about you.  Proverbs 18:21 says, "Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit - you choose."  Find God's promises in the Bible, and let those be the words that come out of your mouth.  Remember, it's a choice; no one can do it for you.

3. Rejoice in the Lord.
While you are waiting, go ahead and thank God for the victory, for the fulfillment of your dreams.  There's a beautiful portrayal of this in Habakkuk 3:17-18 when he says, "Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen, though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to God.  I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God." 

You see, Habakkuk could have easily complained about his situation, but instead he rejoiced in the Lord as he was waiting on victory.  Oh, this is my desire as well!  While I'm waiting, I want to sing, shout, dance and rejoice in the Lord, trusting that victory is on the way.

I have come to the conclusion in my life that even if I have to wait 31 more years before seeing my dream come to pass, then I will still wait with great expectation.  And while I'm waiting, I will continue to pray, confess God's word over my life and rejoice in Him, trusting that He is working out everything for my good.

So tell me, what do you do while you're waiting for your dreams to come true?