There Are Blessings in the Wait (it even led to signing with a literary agent)

Although anything but easy, wait time is some of our most important time.

“But everyone else has one!” Our son tried this angle before. He didn’t want to wait to get a cell phone until he was driving. So he begged, he negotiated, he whined…anything to make his wishes come true sooner. 

I do the same thing, with tangible and intangible things. I think I know what’s best and don’t see the benefit of delaying. 

Yet just as we asked our son to trust us in this decision, God asks us to trust Him in those more difficult times of waiting. To surrender to His understanding. 

But it’s hard. Especially when it drags on for years. Especially when we begin comparing. 

The Long Wait

A decade ago this August I reluctantly started my blog at the insistence of my oldest son. A year later I began attending writers conferences, pursuing a book publishing contract and trying to get my writing “out there.” Nine long years went by with no publishing or agent contract.

I began to wonder if I had misinterpreted God’s direction for my life. Yet every time I was ready to quit, He gave me some encouragement to continue. Maybe a sweet message from a reader (perhaps you!), a win in a writing contest, or a request for a podcast interview. 

Still, the delay frustrated and confused me. I saw friends and acquaintances from the first writers conference I attended receive agent and publishing contracts. But I received rejection after rejection.

In the long silence, I continued to pray. Out of obedience, I continued to share words of encouragement, frequent writers conferences and pitch to agents and editors.

I kept working toward it because I still felt God calling me to write and pursue publication and because I knew Him to be trustworthy, 

But it was hard. I cried and compared. I begged and negotiated. Just like my son had. I wanted an agent sooner. I felt I was ready to sign a publishing contract years prior.

But the Lord knew better. 

I Signed With a Literary Agent

It wasn’t until a decade later that He said yes. This year—in fact, this month— the Lord ended my wait. I’m thrilled to share that on Wednesday, May 12, I signed a contract for representation by Dan Balow and The Steve Laube Agency!

Even more awesome, that same day, God showed me what a good Father He is. He didn’t let me have my way, but provided the best way.

During a conversation with my agent, Dan, he revealed the reason he was willing to sign me despite my relatively small audience reach. He signed me in part because I’d spent so much time in waiting. It was in that place of in-between where I learned the ins and outs of publishing and writing, where I grew in patience, where I made connections, where I demonstrated fortitude and perseverance.

In a nutshell, the long years of waiting shaped me into an easier client.

Blessings of the Wait

As difficult as the waiting has been, an agent contract may never have happened without it. I needed to hone my craft, learn the publishing business, and make connections. 

That’s the thing about waiting: We tend to think of that in-between time as a hardship. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity, we look as it as a waste. We grudgingly endure it instead of growing through it. 

Although anything but easy, wait time is some of our most important time. It prepares us, grows us, and helps us learn to trust the Lord on a deeper level. 

Although anything but easy, wait time is some of our most important time. It prepares us, grows us, and helps us learn to trust the Lord on a deeper level. Click To Tweet

Be Open to the Process

The Lord will not abandon you in the wait. He will see you through…in His best timing. Meanwhile, ask Him to give you glimpses of His presence and His hand in your situation. Look for opportunities to learn and grow. Review God’s past faithfulness, and empathize and encourage others in their wait. 

Waiting isn’t usually pleasant, but it is necessary in our journeys of faith. Be open to all God has for you in the process. 

Waiting isn't usually pleasant, but it is necessary in our journeys of faith. Be open to all God has for you in the process, and wait with expectancy for God to come through. Click To Tweet

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” Psalm 27:13-14

Reflections: For what are you waiting on the Lord? How difficult do you find it? Consider asking God to open your eyes to opportunities to learn and grow in the wait, trusting His timing in it all. 

By His grace ≈

Julie