Don’t mistake a season of preparation for a lack of progress.
Have you ever felt frustrated because you felt like you weren’t experiencing all that God had for you? Maybe you believe you’re able to do more or become more, but you feel stuck in a rut? Perhaps you think you’ve stalled in your ministry growth curve and are destined for mediocrity, despite believing you are capable of so much more?
What if this is actually part of your journey and isn’t your final destination?
The season you want to escape may be the season you need.
God spent the early part of Israel’s history promising them that He had big things in store for them. They would be a great nation with their own land and would flourish under His protection and blessing. They would be a light and an influence, and He would guide their steps.
Unfortunately for them, those things were far off in the future, and as a nation of slaves and later nomads, they weren’t ready to step into the season of blessing that God had promised them.
In Exodus 23, as they’re just a few weeks into their desert sojourn after fleeing Egypt, God reminds them that despite their current location, he would continue to protect, bless, and accompany them during their journey to the Promised Land.
Interestingly, though, He also plainly told them in Ex. 23:29-30 (NIV) that they weren’t ready for the Promised Land yet. Even though He could remove the enemies and obstacles in front of them, His assignment was too big, and His people hadn’t yet grown to the point where they could handle it well. It would be too much, too soon, and instead of being a blessing, it would be a burden that would end up self-destructing.
I wonder if that rings true for any of our stories in ministry.
Don’t become so focused on what’s next that you miss what God is teaching you now.
Doubtlessly many of us feel like we’ve been blessed with ability, leadership, talent, or potential. And it’s also possible that in some area of our ministry life, we look around and think to ourselves, “This is it? Why am I not being allowed to do more? Why am I not leading more? Why don’t I have more influence? Why are there not more opportunities coming my way?”
Maybe God sees us the same way that He saw those Israelites: raw and full of potential, but desperately needing to grow and develop in order to be ready for what He had in store.
Perhaps the reason I don’t have “more” of something is because I’m not currently managing what I have well enough. Perhaps I haven’t grown or matured enough to be ready for “more” of it. Perhaps if God gave me more to handle, I’d screw it up because I haven’t shown my ability to handle the “less” He gave me to start with.
Instead of looking at my season and wishing I was out of it and into my next one, I should be focused on what I can do to maximize my learning and growth where I am. God will often allow us to repeat lessons and “tests” to ensure that we’re maturing and developing the right way so that we have the proper perspective and response when we’re entrusted with something greater.
So how am I handling the environment I’m in right now? How are my relationships as a servant and a peer? Am I pastoring and leading those under me well? Am I managing my financial and technical resources with wisdom? Am I pursuing personal and professional growth?
If any of those things are lacking, maybe that’s the reason why God hasn’t opened up the door for a Promised Land.
In the noted passage in Exodus, God notes that he will drive out the enemies and wild animals “little by little” until His people have increased enough to take possession of the land.
Sometimes getting what you want too soon is worse than waiting for it.
Maybe He also expects me to grow just “little by little” in certain areas too. Maybe I don’t have to become an expert in something overnight but just demonstrate that I’m committed to a process of incremental improvement in an area, so that I can walk a pathway of growth over time.
God knows I’m not ready for all He has for me, and I’ll never be able to get there without His help anyway.
But no matter what kind of journey or how lengthy it is, He will never leave me on my own. Even if I have to keep repeating steps and attempting to learn the same lesson over and over, He will still walk with me every step of the way.
And as He does, little by little, He will help shape and guide me until I’m ready for the “more” that He has in store for me.
