Packing My Bags When I Need to Stay

I know the feeling of packing my bags when I need to stay put. In fact, I have worked with many clients who have felt stuck.

They know they need to move forward, but they're not sure how to transition well.

I get it.

I hate feeling stuck too.

I know it's not easy to wait for it...whatever it is. Recently I went for a run around Memorial Park in Houston. I didn't make it much more than a mile before I had to stop running. I am out of shape, and the Texas heat certainly doesn't help. I was reminded of the song Me Without You by TobyMac.

I stopped.

I mean, my mind literally stopped and came to a screeching halt.

The lyrics below have haunted me ever since:

I'd be packin' my bags when I need to stay I'd be chasin' every breeze that blows my way I'd be building my kingdom just to watch it fade away It's true

How many of us are guilty, including myself, of going when we need to stay?

Here are 2 tips to stop "packing my bags when I need to stay."

1. It's okay to not be okay. Rick Warren said this phrase, "I'm not okay, you're not okay, but God's okay so we're okay" at the first-ever Mental Health and the Church Conference I attended at Saddleback Church in CA a few years back. His phrase has been rolling around in my mind lately. In hard times, seasons of transition, and difficulty--it's okay to not be okay.
2. Stop people pleasing. Instead of waiting on the Lord like David did, we become like Saul and end up pleasing others while forfeiting our futures because we couldn't wait for it? Keep reading below:

Recently, I've felt restless. (I know I'm not the only one feeling that right now.) I opened my Bible and let my finger pick the passage. (You know you've done this before). I wanted to be led. I wanted to read something meaningful. That's when my eye caught a glimpse of 2 Samuel 5:1-4, ESV:

Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

David waited a long time to become King. He could have taken the throne by force. But he didn't... David waited.  David eventually became King at the age of 30 and reigned for 40 years. I don't know about you, but now feels like the time for appointing of the Lord. He is ready to fulfill His promises to those who waited after the anointing of the Lord like David did.

Maybe you're still waiting on people, places, and things God promised you decades past.

Or, maybe like me, you're feeling like,

"Why did you lead me here, God? Everything is hard, and nothing makes sense!"

One thing I know for certain, is that like David in Psalm 27:14 (ESV), I will...

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Today. Let's fall before Jesus in humility with a repentant heart. Let's ask God for help to wait for the Lord. To be strong. To take courage in our hearts. To stay put until the brook literally dries up (1 Kings 17:7) before we pack our bags and move on.

Question: Are you packing your bags when you need to stay?