Isn’t that always how it happens? You spend tons of time and effort building a brand new web site complete with hopes and dreams and plans for wonderful, sparkly, thought-provoking posts and then LIFE comes along and steals all your free time?
That’s pretty much what happened. God’s perfect timing “happened” and quite literally overnight I found myself sitting smack dab in the middle of my dream-come-true.
God does that sometimes, you know. You pray. You hope. You dream. You believe. And you pray some more. You’re pretty sure your requests and even your words of thanksgiving just pour out of your mouth like baby drool only to lie flat and mingle with the dust bunnies under the couch.
Honestly, they don’t.
God DOES hear. Every. Single. Prayer. Every single cry of the heart whether in little whispers or through tears. He captures them all in his mighty, capable hands.
And let us not grow weary of doing good,
for in due season we will reap,
if we do not give up.
(Galatians 6:9)
As I have found myself living out my long-awaited dream of making a living doing what I absolutely love, I realize how it HAD to happen this way. All those years of spinning my wheels. All those moments and tears of frustration and feelings of just not doing and being what I was meant to do and always coming up short in the relay when it was my turn to grasp the baton…I realize now that I wasn’t ready...yet.
No.
It takes those years of experience. It’s a long, bumpy road with many pot holes. In my case, MANY, many culinary “experiments” had to hit the trash can first (or tossed out to my chickens with a "here you go, girls" and a smile). I had so much to learn (and still do) about food, techniques, the big, beautiful world of photography, etc. I still had hours and hours of cooking shows to watch and countless hours of food talk over the phone with Mom and cooking classes to take, food magazines to peruse. Oh, there's SO much out there to learn! I look back now and I see that those years were “gathering” years, much like gathering the necessary ingredients for an awesome recipe. Not only is there knowledge and experiences to gather, but tools and equipment, as well. And the final, delicious product CAN’T and WON’T come together until ALL the ingredients are in place.
Maybe this is a time of gathering for you. Maybe it seems like a long, dry and stagnant season of asking and waiting. More of the same as the months and years keep ticking by.
Don’t lose heart, my friend. Don’t lose sight of the dream and don’t ever think that God isn’t listening. He hand carved every element that makes you YOU including your gifts and passions. I know how hard it is to be patient, but in the end you will savor every delicious bite.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
