My Way or The Highway?

The mental and emotional downside of impatience.

Imagine you are cooking breakfast, and your child walks in, complaining they are hungry. You knew they would wake up this way, which is why you started breakfast while they were still asleep. You politely ask them to wait until it is ready. Weeks ago, they asked for French toast, eggs, sausage, and juice. Knowing how much they wanted this meal, you pulled out all the stops. You made homemade smoked sausage, farm-fresh eggs, pressed juice, and French toast made from freshly baked bread. This breakfast was going to take time, but it would be well worth it. Five minutes later … they return to the kitchen and ask if it is ready. Again, you say not yet. This happens several times, increasing in frequency and intensity to the point where they won’t leave the kitchen and are crying their eyes out, questioning how much you love them, saying, “How could you not feed me!” “I thought you said I would get breakfast!” We are talking about a full-scale tantrum. When they see that you are not budging on the timeline, they finally walk out. Once breakfast is ready and the table is set, you search for them only to find they are somewhere they shouldn’t be, eating a roll of powdered sugar donuts.

You would be hot, wouldn’t you?

Now, before you go off and call that kid ungrateful, spoiled, and anything else you can think of unpleasant, do not be so fast to judge. Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Do I do this to God with the promises I am waiting for?” How many times have we prayed for something, and when it does not happen immediately, we ask God again and again, like he did not hear us the first time? What about those promises he has yet to fulfill? Have we given up and found a way to make it happen on our own, even though if we had been patient enough, it would have been everything we could have dreamed about and more?

I am guilty as charged.

Children tend to have a warped sense of time. They think everything takes forever when really it has only been 5 minutes. Take a long trip with anyone under the age of 16, and you will know what I am talking about. We, too, have a warped sense of time regarding God's promises. He does not operate on our timeline. He does not even have a timeline. God works outside of time; he can simultaneously see the beginning, middle, and end.

Have you ever asked God for something that took longer than you would have liked, but when it arrived, it was right when you needed it? Or have you ever looked back and been glad you did not get it when you asked for it because you only thought you were ready?

It is hard to wait at times. We have limited knowledge of the bigger picture. We only think about what we need, not how it fits into the plan as a whole.

…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

Abraham and Sarah were promised a child, but when it took too long, they decided to make it happen, not wait for it to happen. That one choice cost Abraham, Sarah, Rahab, Issac, and Ishmael a lot of mental and emotional anguish for the rest of their lives; even today, we see the long-term consequences of that particular choice. Do you want God’s best? Or do you want it the way you want it and when you want it? Those things may be mutually exclusive. We can operate outside of God’s plan for us, but it will cost us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

You want a promotion at work, but God says not yet, so you work your personal connections to get the job anyway. In the process, you burn bridges and make enemies, and now that you have the promotion, you wish you didn’t. You are miserable, unhappy, and isolated, even affecting your relationships outside of work. God’s best for us does not mean we will be free from struggle; however, had you waited, the relationships at work would still be intact, and though the job is difficult, you would have had support. Your children at home would have been older, making things less stressful, and you would also have the mental and emotional bandwidth to show up in relationships in your family and friends outside of work.

If you say you want God’s best, you must be okay with his answers and timing.

Many plans are in a man’s mind, But it is the LORD’S purpose for him that will stand (be carried out). Proverbs 19:21

Anything we do outside the will of God is subject to fail. You may win the battle but, in the end, lose the war. If we want to win the war, peace despite the chaos, joy in the face of struggle, and gratitude amongst the challenges, we must TRUST God enough to let him cook!

How to TRUST God with the desires of your heart:

T – Take God at His Word

Numbers 23:19
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Trust begins with believing what God has said. His promises are not broken; they are built on His character. Start with faith in what He has already declared.

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R – Release Control

Proverbs 19:21
Many plans are in a man’s mind, But it is the LORD’S purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).

Surrender the timeline, method, and your own strategies. Control may feel comforting but can interfere with God’s best and turn out for the worst. Let go of your way so you can walk in His way.

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U – Understand That His Timing Is Perfect

2 Peter 3:8
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

God is never late. He’s outside of time, orchestrating things we can’t see. What feels delayed is often divine preparation.

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S – Seek Him First

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Prioritize your relationship with God over your results. When you focus on Him first, everything else falls into its proper place—including your desires.

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T – Thank Him in the Waiting

1 Thessalonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Gratitude in the waiting room of life builds spiritual maturity. Even when you don’t have the answer yet, thank Him—because He’s still working.

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Final Thought:

Let God cook! You asked. He heard. Trust that He’s preparing something far better than powdered donuts. For more on this topic, read my March 16th article.

What About Them?

The Casebook

These questions will challenge you to examine your faith in God’s promises and your ability to wait patiently. They invite honest reflection on distractions and cultivate gratitude even in seasons of delay.