This year has been off to a bit of a crazy start; while I’m excited for what is to come and trying to live expectant for what God has for me, that can be hard in the mundaneness of life. I’m a senior, which means I am 4 ½ months away from graduating, and I never thought I would get senioritis, but here I am, ready for something new. Right now, school is rough, it’s cold outside, and it’s hard to get together with friends; so, it’s basically me at home counting down until graduation. I realized I don’t want to live like that; I don’t want to live in the future, of I can’t wait for what is to come that I miss what God has for me right now. So, what does it look like to live content in a season of waiting?
Looking to Him
It’s hard trying to live in the moment when you are in the rut of the mundane every day, the days are all the same, and it’s hard to be excited for the moment you are in. But this is not the outlook to have on life because the truth is we all go through slow seasons and seasons of waiting, and it’s important to shape our minds and our outlooks on life.
There are a couple things I am trying to do in the season of my life to make the most of every mundane moment. The first thing is knowing that God has you in this season for a reason; I don’t presume to know God’s will, but I know that he is working in all things, especially when it feels like he is not. Whether that means he is teaching you something through this season, testing and strengthening your faith, or desiring you to turn to him. Whatever it is, I know that God’s plan is a million times better than mine, so if this is the season he wants me in right now, then I am going to dig into that.
The next thing is being intentional with the time God has given us; maybe this season seems like a waste of time, but he calls us to be good stewards of what he has given us, including our time. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life that we forget to really be intentional.
Parable of the Talents
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents; in this parable, He talks about a master who is going away and leaves his property in the hands of his servants. He gives 5 talents to one, 2 to another, and 1 to that last servant; the servant with 5 talents went out and traded and made 5 more talents. The servant with 2 talents used it and made 2 more talents, and the servant with 1 talent hid his away. When the master came home, this is what happened . . .
“And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25:20-21”.
The master said basically the same thing to the one who had 4 talents, but to the servant with 1 talent, the master called him wicked for not investing and making the most of what he had given him. (please read the whole parable in Matthew 25:14-30)
Being Intentional
The Lord calls us to be intentional and make the most out of what he has given us, to not just hide it away but to be bold and step out with what he has appointed to us. Being intentional looks like many things, spending time in the word, with family, or bettering yourself at something you love to do. We go through life in the mundane, which is sometimes necessary, but it shouldn’t be all the time; life is so short and precious we don’t have time to waste our lives in the old routines. Being intentional with our time is extremely important, especially in a world that is go, go, go; we need time to simply be still.
Don’t waste this time away; use it to bring glory to God, spread the gospel, pour into his word, and deepen your relationship with him. Don’t let it slip away! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look back on my time and remember all the mundane things I did; I want to remember how I was a good steward of what he gave me and delighting in how I saw the Lord work (even in the mundane).
Delighting in Him
The next thing is delighting in the Lord; this is kind of a mindset change of looking at the mundane things of life as blessings from the Lord; because they are. I can delight in my full school schedule this year because many people don’t have the opportunity to get an education. I can delight in my job because not everyone has a job; I can delight in my long list of chores because not everyone has dishes to wash or a house to clean.
I can delight in all things because Christ is in all things!! He is in every good cup of coffee, quiet morning, and hug from my sister; I can view those simple things as blessings from the Lord and delight in what he is doing in those things. Those simple mindset shifts can change your whole day!
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (Psalm 37:3-6).
Lean Into Him
These simple things can help you navigate seasons of waiting and mundane life; I really want to encourage you to lean in to and live in that expectant hope for what He has for you each day. He has a purpose in each season, and even when we don’t see it, he is working; please check out my post about finding hope in the new year https://livinglifewithgracie.com/hope-in-the-new-year/
I hope you know that you are fully known and fully loved and know that he is working. Please reach out if you need anything and would love to talk!
-Gracie K
p.s. Also check out my mom’s blog: https://www.lifesneverdull.com/
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