Tag: waiting

Life is Too Short to Live Too Fast

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Life in any big city, from Los Angeles to New York City, will tend to be fast paced. There is so much to do and too much to be done. But the push to live faster will manifest in a distinct way for each of us.

The Hustle Mentality

The first manifestation is the hustle mentality: “I live to work.” I struggle with this mindset the most. And seeing the dozens of phone lines that exist for Workaholics Anonymous, I know I’m not alone.

I hustle because time always feels like it’s of the essence. Lazy Saturdays are wasted Saturdays. What am I doing with my life if I’m not striving toward my God-given dreams? If I’m not working on them, who is?

The Hustle Cure

When God places a vision on your heart, He is the one who is ultimately responsible for them, not you. And accepting this reality is the first step toward healing from the hustle mentality.

However, this is an especially bitter pill for me to swallow. As a child of immigrants, I was taught that hard work was the solution to every problem. Your grades are low? Work harder. Your quarterly performance reviews are bad? Work harder. You’re 30 and you’re not married yet? Work harder.

But God Himself sternly rebukes this mindset. “‘If you repented and patiently waited for Me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in Me you would find strength, but you are unwilling’” (Isaiah 30:16). Waiting on God and resting in His promises are key to overcoming the need to hustle.

The Hangover Mentality

At the other extreme is the hangover mentality: “I live to party.” At business school, you might imagine how common this mindset is. Party, crash, repeat, and the cycle continues until the funds run dry or the consequences come calling.

At the heart of this mindset lies a fear of the future. With greater responsibility and less freedom lying ahead, when else will we get a chance to kickback like we’re doing now?

The Hangover Cure

Ironically, the cure to this problem is actually the same as the cure to the hustle mindset: waiting on God and resting in His promises. Overindulgence arises from a scarcity mindset. “If I don’t indulge now, I may never again have the chance to.” And there is some truth in that. There are very few forty-years-old I know who spend their Saturday nights at epic ragers. And even fewer geriatrics who can bust a move at the club. But there is life after youth. Older age brings joys that younger years cannot: legacy, perspective, and family. If we pace ourselves now and plan our futures well, we can make the most of our current enjoyment and still be around to reminisce about it later.

Conclusion

In the book of Ecclesiastes, the wise King Solomon says, “It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will avoid all extremes” (Ecclesiastes 7:18). As human beings, we tend to the extreme. Our compass will direct us to work too hard or play too hard because we’re trying to live life too fast. But we need to know when to slow down, so that we can make the most of our short lives here on earth.

“‘Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.'”

(Psalm 46:10)

Taking My Timetable Too Seriously (Taking Myself Too Seriously Again Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I went back to school to start a business. Boom or bust, by the time I walk out of my two-year MBA program, I will add “founder” to my resume. With such a short window to work with, time is of the essence. I am currently looking for a co-founder, and I have no idea how to find them.

During orientation, I met a fellow entrepreneurial student. Over the course of our conversation, I found out that he too had been looking for a co-founder, and he’d already found him a few days ago. He said, “With us only being here two years, every minute counts. And we’ll need every second of it to take advantage of the resources here.” In my head, I paraphrased that as, “I’m already behind!”

Walking Not Running

My instinctual reaction was to find a way to get ahead. I need to find a co-founder, create a business juggernaut, and commence a transition plan for my impending retirement all by next week, or I might never catch up! As ridiculous as this might sound, I think this mindset has become more prevalent than we may realize. Why else would the term “life hack” have so inundated popular discourse? We’re constantly trying to find ways to squeeze more useful time out of our twenty-four hour days.

But God’s pace is slower. When speaking of God’s plan for our lives, the apostle Paul said, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). And in the book Three Mile An Hour God, Japanese theologian Kosuke Koyama emphasized that Jesus’ pace on earth was a walking pace because love can’t be rushed.

But why is God so freaking slow?

Timing Belongs to the LORD

This question led me to the story of Moses. Everyone knows Moses: nation deliverer, Red Sea splitter, leader, prophet, warrior, poet, and writer. But what most people don’t realize is that Moses completed all of these great acts as an old man. His journey begins when most of ours end: at the age of eighty.

For the first forty years of his life, Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s household. The book of Acts says, “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22). These two statements “educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” and “was powerful in speech and action” are inseparable. Moses’ formative upbringing was inseparable from his legacy.

After this, Moses—like most of us—attempted to start his mission too early. As a middle-aged man of forty, he attempted to liberate his people (Acts 7:23). But the LORD still had much training for him to undergo. So he spent the next forty years of his life as a shepherd in the wilderness. What better way to learn how to lead a stubborn, ignorant, ungrateful people than to lead stubborn, ignorant, ungrateful sheep!

Because the LORD sees the end from the beginning, He knows what steps we need to take along the way. We can’t short circuit this process without short circuiting our destiny.

The Future Belongs to the LORD

Similarly, we don’t know what the future holds. King Solomon once said, “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). There are so many factors that go into success that we, with our limited perspective, will fail to account for: the economy, the culture, even our own mental readiness and state of well being. But God takes all of these into account. And He makes all things beautiful in their own time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Conclusion

So I have let go of my timetable; I’ve deleted my calendar; and I’ve tossed my planner into the bin. I will still plan ahead, of course, but I’m trying to learn to clutch my schedule with a looser grip. My vision may not come true according to my plan, but God has always had a better one in store.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

(Jeremiah 29:11)

Almost but Not Yet (Life in Waiting Pt. 1)

Ife J. Ibitayo

We live in a year of “almost but not yet”s. We’re almost allowed to go back into the office but not yet. We’re almost allowed to hold celebrations with our friends and family but not yet. We’re almost ready to return to normal (whatever “normal” will be) but not yet.

It’s like we’re stuck in Groundhog Day on Christmas Eve. We’re anxiously awaiting tomorrow, but it never seems to arrive.

Almost Free

 The Egyptians enslaved the Israelites for over four hundred years (Exodus 12:40). They waited generation after generation for salvation, according to the promise given to their ancestor Abraham (Genesis 15:13-14). Then their liberator finally arrived. Moses burst on the scene with a commission from God and a miracle working staff. He barged into Pharaoh’s palace and demanded that he release God’s people (Exodus 3-5). You can probably guess how well that went.

Pharoah kicked the uppity troublemaker out and doubled the workload of his slaves. Chastened and distraught, “Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all’” (Exodus 5:22-23).

Almost Understood

God responded to Moses, “‘I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself fully known to them’” (Exodus 6:2-3). A name carries the identity and character of a person; it reveals who they are. And just as God used the waiting to reveal Himself in a deeper way to Moses and the Israelites, so He does in our lives.

How can we appreciate that God is LORD of the valleys if we only remain on the mountaintops (1 Kings 20:28)? How can we find God in hell if we’re only treated to heaven (Psalm 139:8)? It’s through the wait that we can enter into a deeper understanding of who the LORD really is.

Almost Heard

“‘Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving’” (Exodus 6:5a). God doesn’t simply fix our problems. He enters into our pain while we’re waiting.

We all have those well-meaning loved ones who can’t bear to see us unhappy. Instead of taking the time to understand the source of our emotional discontent, they immediately seek to banish the problem. True love enters the waiting and sympathizes with our weaknesses before healing the pain (Hebrews 4:15).

Almost Glorious

Lastly, God said, “‘I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord’” (Exodus 7:3-5). God strengthens our testimony by allowing us to wait.

The power of delayed graduations, marriages, and any number of major life events grows over time. For instance, it’s one thing to have a baby when you are thirty and quite another to have one when you are one hundred (Romans 4:19)! As God pushes the timeline of our promises out to the right, He’s increasing the glory of their fulfillment, not diminishing it.

Conclusion

“Almost but not yet” may very well be the hardest season of life to live in. But it’s also one of the richest. As the words to the classic song goes, “we may not be able to trace His hand. But we can trust His heart”. And we can rest assured that God is working even now.

“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.”

(Psalm 121:3)

A Pregnancy Delayed (Overtures from the Advent-ures of Jesus Christ Part 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Most people the world over know of the existence of Jesus Christ. Far fewer know about John the Baptist—His forerunner and prophet. An amazing story describes this great man’s birth.

Delayed Prayers Do Not Equate with Unrighteous Character

To begin his gospel, the Apostle Luke says, “In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old” (Luke 1:5-7 NIV).

The first lesson that can be learned from the lives of Zechariah and Elizabeth is that the prayers of righteous people can be frustrated. Even Jesus Himself, the most righteous being who’s ever existed, received a “No” from God. When He uttered the words “may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26:39 NIV), He spoke of His righteous desire to avoid separation from His heavenly Father. Yet the Father still executed the judgment we deserved upon His Son.

A prayer delayed—or denied—does not always point to hidden sin.

Delayed Prayers Do Not Equate with Unanswered Prayers

But even if a prayer is delayed far longer than we expect it to be, that does not mean the prayer will remain unanswered. Luke 1:13 says, “But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John’” (Luke 1:13 NIV).

As young children wait for Christmas to come, the passage of time feels excruciatingly long to them. But as the days pass, their sense of anticipation doesn’t wane. It waxes stronger because they know that Christmas Day will come.

We should practice the same childlike behavior as we wait on God, trusting that each day doesn’t take us further from fulfillment but closer, no matter how long we wait.

Delayed Prayers Do Not Equate with Ill-Timed Answers

When the angel told Zechariah that his wife would bear a son, he asked, “‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.’ The angel said to him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time’” (Luke 1:18-20 NIV).

Zechariah had given up on his prayer long ago. His disbelief ran so deep that the prophecy of a holy angelic being was not enough to dispel his doubt. The season for a having a son, it seemed, had passed.

But God didn’t share his conclusion. John the Baptist’s miraculous birth foreshadowed Jesus’ impossible conception. And the ministry of John the Baptist paved the way for Jesus’ saving work (Luke 1:76). John the Baptist didn’t arrive a day late; he came right on time.

Conclusion

God may not give us the victory we believe we deserve at the time we want. But “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12 NIV). He will come through, now or later.

“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

(Habakkuk 2:3 NIV)

Big Problems, Bigger God

By Ife J. Ibitayo

It’s been more than six months since I wrote about my “Petty Problems”. Since then, my problems have grown tremendously. I’ve struggled with throat-constricting anxiety, debilitating stress, and crippling loneliness. I’ve been examined by an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist, and a psychologist. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m like a mountaineer climbing Mount Everest who had his feet sliced off and his legs shattered.

As I continue to drag myself up this unending mountain, head buried in the frigid snow, the LORD sent me this verse: “He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3 CSB)

Point of Humbling

The word translated “humbled” in this verse is the Hebrew word “anah”, meaning to be brought low. To be humbled is to be forced from a position of strength to a posture of submission, from sufficiency to need.

Apostle Paul said “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV). As my life unraveled before my eyes, I came to cherish these words. Affliction has weighed down my back but hasn’t crushed me. My circumstances have confused me, but God has rescued me from despair. I’ve been battered time and time again, but here I stand all because of His “surpassing power”.

Point of Waiting

I’ve seen the necessity of relying on God’s word alone. God’s promises and character have proven to be far better barometers for the future than what I can see in my day to day life. Just as I know that researchers are working on a vaccine to cure coronavirus but can only see the death count spiking in our nation, I know that God is working all things together for my good (Romans 8:28), even when I can only see my mounting suffering.

If I want to make it till tomorrow, I can’t depend on what my eyes can see today. I have to view reality through lenses of faith.

Conclusion

I cannot promise myself that “everything will turn out okay”. I don’t know if my worries of today will become reality tomorrow or be dispelled with the new year. All I can do is wait. My problems are big and growing by the week, but my God is even bigger. And I still believe in Him.

“I believed, even when I said, ‘I am severely oppressed.’”

(Psalm 116: 10 CSB)