Blog

Explore My News,
Thoughts & Inspiration

The Waiting

Have you ever had to wait for something for longer than you anticipated, but in the end, it was worth the wait?

Of course, you have. Life is a series of seasons of waiting. In one way or another, we will be waiting on and off for the rest of our lives. We’ll wait to find the next job, for Summer to say hello again, for the next adventure, for test results, for the right special someone to come into our lives, for a baby to arrive, for circumstances to improve, for Jesus to come back.

The question is, what are we doing in the waiting?

 

When I got back from the World Race (you can read all about those 11 months here), I was convinced that because I was confident about where the Lord and I were going to go next, He was going to take me there quickly; no stopping at “Go”, no collecting 200 dollars. I had even mapped out a timeline for Him in my head; no more than 10 weeks and I would be on my way to start a new job.

But when the 10-week mark hit, and I still hadn’t acquired a job (or any clue as to why I was in Little Rock), I was utterly confused. It seemed as though, every day, the people I went on the Race with were stepping beautifully into their next seasons of life and I was still stuck. Here I was, 25, living and hanging out a little too much with my parents, and no viable job opportunities. Hello, comparison.

Shame began to creep in like an all-too-familiar presence.

I was ashamed of living with my parents, not having full-time work even though I have a degree, and working in childcare again getting paid what I was getting paid at 17 years old.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, the enemy was using His oldest trick in the book on me and I was buying it. As he did back in the days of Adam and Eve, Satan whispered to me, “Is that really what God said? Are you sure He wants you to work in ministry? It makes more sense to continue on in Athletic Training”.

After a little while, I wasn’t sure. No doors were opening. In fact, God shut the door on an opportunity that I thought would be perfect. I regularly asked myself what the heck I was doing.

 

It can be difficult to hold onto God’s promises when you must wait for them to come to fruition.

And believe me, wait I did.

Day after day and month after month. During that time, He reminded me of the MANY people who have come before me that also had to wait for the fruition of God’s promises to them; like Abraham/ Sarah, Jacob, Joseph, and many others. However, they didn’t wait days or months. They waited years and years before they saw the fulfilment of God’s promise. Dang it.

He was also sweet to speak to me through friends I had just met about the plan He had for me. I had friends tell me (without knowing anything) that they saw me working with women and their stories. I had a friend cry with me as we weighed the possibility of this next position.

Essentially, God was telling me to chill out and though it is wonderful to dream, I needed to focus on what I was doing in my waiting. When I switched my perspective to focus on what was immediately around me and how God could use me right now, I found the fruit of this season, instead of desperation for the next.

 

Amidst this waiting, a position came on my radar that I heard grumblings of but, hadn’t yet seen released. The job description scared me, excited me, and made me emotional. It was exactly everything the Lord had been speaking to me about. I knew that if I got the job, it would be because the Lord had ordained it. And guess what?

I got the job.

I have been given the wonderful opportunity to be the Beauty for Ashes Coordinator at Adventures in Missions (aka AIM; the same org that sent me on the World Race). Beauty for Ashes is the women’s ministry at AIM and our goal is to create safe spaces where women can feel free to share their stories and step into healing and freedom in Christ. We do this through day events and week-long retreats, all over the world. After the retreats, we spend time connecting the women with local female leaders, whom we empower to continue the process of discipleship. We hope to embolden women to use their stories of redemption to bring life to others in their homes, communities, and cultures. My role will include ministry development support, planning of ministry activities such as events, trainings, and short-term trips, marketing, and financial management.

I am amazed at God’s faithfulness in providing a position that was beyond my expectations. I never would have imagined that I would end up here, back with Adventures in Missions, to help continue the work that I got a glimpse of while on the field. But, I am so glad to be here, in His timing. My heart is overwhelmed.

 

Please join with me in prayer as we invite the Holy Spirit to work through us to reach women for the Lord.

In addition, as with many other evangelical mission organizations, I am responsible to raise $7,000 per fiscal year to be used as a portion of my salary.

I would be honored if you would consider partnering with me monthly in prayer and/or tax-deductible donations as we believe in God’s desire for reconciliation and redemption.

Would you consider supporting our ministry?

To do so, click here. Or you can hit the “Donate” button at the top of this page.

 

I am so excited for all that God has in store.

 

Until we meet again,

Caitlin

 

P.S. If you received this blog through your email, it is because you were subscribed to my World Race blog. If you would like to be unsubscribed, just click the link in the actual email. 

* If you would like to subscribe to keep up with the future of this ministry, click here.

 

For more information about AIM, click here.

For more information about Beauty for Ashes, click here

2 Comments

Comments are closed.