Does God Want Me to Stretch While I Wait for the Next Thing?

Sometimes I wish I could read the mind of God—or at least understand his timing. But I’m learning to stretch while I wait.

Writing With My Foot

“Use your foot to write the alphabet in the sky,” my physical therapist told me.

“What if I have bad foot-writing,” I joked.

“I’m not a teacher, I won’t tell,” she said with a smile as she watched me try to form giant letters with my clumsy, swollen foot.

After surgery last year to repair a ruptured tendon in my ankle, I wanted to resume my normal activities as quickly as possible. I went to physical therapy twice a week and did all the stretches and exercises I could at home while I waited for healing.

If I stood up, I would stretch my calf muscles. When I sat down, I wrote the alphabet with my foot. I did lunges to stretch my hamstrings. The stretching gave me a purpose in my wait for a return to activities I love—mountain biking, hiking, running, birdwatching, and photography.

The stretching gave me purpose in the waiting, and a way to deal with the setbacks of nerve pain, incision infection, and swelling.

How to Stretch While You Wait

Now I have entered a different kind of waiting. We waited until after Christmas to list our investment property so our renters wouldn’t have to move over Christmas. They moved out late. The Realtor inspected the home before we listed it but discovered a major problem in the crawl space. Repairing it could cost thousands of dollars and take months.

What seemed like a clear decision in November, seems unclear in February. But I must ask myself, does God want me to stretch while I wait? Does he want me to stretch my faith in his provisions? Should I put off a major purchase during this uncertain period?  What do I need to learn while I wait?

I can’t give you specifics on stretching while you wait, but I can share my belief God gives us periods of waiting. And during those times, he wants us to stretch so we are more equipped to handle his next best thing.

What’s causing you to stretch lately?

This post is part of the Five-Minute Friday quick write hosted by Kate Moutang. Join us each Thursday night on Twitter (#FMFParty) for fun and fellowship, then grab a pen and start writing when the prompt goes live!