Just Hold On

I foresee some obstacles to getting writing done today. Namely, my three year old came downstairs screaming today for want of her pink blanket that we can't find- just an indicator of how I anticipate the day unfolding. Thankfully, I wrote a piece for the church newsletter that I happened to like, so here you go!

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There’s a basic routine that happens in our house on school days. Like other homes, it involves dressing, eating, brushing, etc. A “hallelujah!” gets thrown in every once in a while when a kid remembers to make their bed without my saying so. Some days go smoothly, others not so much.

On one particularly frigid day this past month, the kids were eager to get out the door and on their way to school. Being that the air outside was drastically colder than the air inside, we wanted to make sure everyone was absolutely ready to sprint out the door the moment it opened, so as to abbreviate the draft time.

The Oldest couldn’t wait. She kept reaching for the handle, tempted to push it open and go when little The Littlest just needed one more moment to situate herself.

“Hold on,” my husband kept telling her. “Hold on,” he’d tell our son. Finally a string of “holdon-holdon-holdon-holdon-holdon” burst forth, followed by the question, “Honey, do you know what ‘hold on’ means?”

“Yes.” She sounded doubtful.

“What does it mean?”

“It means… stop?”

“It means wait.”

It struck me hard, the relationship between holding on and waiting. So often, waiting in our life feels like floundering alone in an ocean of what-if’s.  People pass us by, smiling and waving on their speedboats, leaving us bobbing up and down in the wake of the plan that is obviously whisking them away into their awesome destinies.

Meanwhile, we wait. Alone. But God doesn’t tell us to doggy-paddle through life. He doesn’t tell us to keep to the surface until our destiny gets there. He tells us to hold on. And He reminds us that we are never truly alone.

Many of us recognize Jeremiah 29:11- “  But read the verse before that, “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.”

We want to get to the plans, and skip the wait. It’s just how we roll. But God’s people had to wait 70 years in captivity. What were they supposed to do? Twiddle their thumbs? Kill the next 69 years and start preparing for some awesomeness about a year before He answered? Uh, no. They were supposed to hold on. To Him. Because it is in the holding on that God works thoroughly in the hearts of His people. In the holding on, we realize He’s the one doing the holding, and He’s not letting go.

You wouldn’t want to go into heart surgery with a surgeon who tells you they’ll be in and out of there as quickly as possible. You want the one dealing with your life to be thorough, to get the job done right no matter how long it takes.

Guess what, God gets that. He’s going to get it done and He’s going to get it right. You can trust Him on that. He’s got plans for you, plans to do you good. Just hold on.