How “Don’t Wait” Came To Be

I decided to go in a different direction this week and step away from life influencers for a week or so.  I’ve been wanting to share the story of how this all came about since it has been a grueling process at times and not something I’m walking into lightly, so here we go.

Starting this blog did not come easily.  It wasn’t a decision that I came to quickly, but instead, I have wrestled and wrestled with this idea for several years.  I’ve known for quite some time that God was preparing me for something. I didn’t know what, I just knew that there was something He was calling me to do.  Through several years of prayer, He began giving me the desire to allow Him to use all of my life experiences: losses I’ve suffered, the depression and anxiety that I’ve lived with, the 20+ years of mothering, all of my years of homeschooling, raising a child with extreme anxiety, raising teenagers, my 25+ year marriage, and the grace of God that has gotten me through these and many other situations in life.  There are 6 Bible passages and 2 and a half years of time that God used to place the desire to start Don’t Wait within me.

I had toyed with the idea of starting a blog or writing a book for several years, but fear held me back.  Who would care to read? Why would anyone want to read what I have to say? Over the course of a few years, God laid out 6 verses to confirm that this is the path I was to take.   Below are the verses He gave me in the order I received them.

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘But I will be with you.'” Exodus 3:11-12

I came across this verse 2 and a half years ago and it jumped out at me. These are the words Moses spoke when the Lord told him that he was chosen to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.  Moses was asking why God had chosen him? Who would really believe anything that he said? This was exactly how I felt. I knew God was calling me to do this, but why? Why me? Who was I that God would call me to do something for Him?  I am no one special. What would I even say? I am far from being anything like Moses, but I related deeply to what he said. I read further and came upon the next verse.

“But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.’  Then the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.’ ” Exodus 4:10-12

Wow.  This was exactly what I was saying to God.  I am NOT eloquent and am definitely not a great speaker nor a great writer.  Yet, look at what God was saying. Who made my mouth? Who made me the way that I am?  He did. I knew He was telling me that I could do this because He would be with me and would give me the words to say.  

Simultaneously to finding these verses, I began noticing something that I’ve discussed quite a bit in my first 6 posts.  When people pass away, their friends and family members come out in droves to pay their condolences, but the person never hears what is said about them.  They don’t see the number of lives they touched. It is too late. They are gone. I knew that I did not want another person that has influenced me to leave this earth without knowing how I feel.  And then in August of 2017, the idea of “Don’t Wait until they’re gone” was born.  The ideas started coming and a fire was lit under me. I continuously journaled and prayed as God continued to speak.

Unfortunately, fear and the weight of life began extinguishing the flames and over time I let fear win.  I continued on with the busyness of life and pushed the idea of starting a blog to the back corner of my mind.  I thought of it frequently but continuously came up with excuses as to why I was not a good candidate for this task.  

Fast forward to Spring of ‘19 when I came across 1 John 2:15-17.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.“

Talk about a wake-up call!  I had let fear (which came from pride) control me.  I was more worried about what others would think than following the will God had shown me for my life.  I had prayed throughout the entire process that He would use me, but I had stipulations. “Lord, you can use me this way and that way, but NOT THAT way,” even though He had shown me clearly what I was to do.  1 John 2 inspired me to begin getting my ideas back together and praying once again for God to use me however He wants. And this time I meant it. I’m not going to lie. The fear was still there. Putting yourself out there is a scary, vulnerable place to be.  I do not like to be in the spotlight, but God has more for me than sitting in my little corner of the world and simply existing. And He’s been stretching me the last few years and taking me out of my comfort zone through several avenues.

As I walk this road, I have to be sure that I am constantly in God’s Word.  If He is going to give me the words to say, I have to be listening. He reminded me through Joshua 1:7-8 just how important this is.

“Only be strong and courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.  Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.“

This was yet another verse that spoke volumes to me.  I must look to Him constantly. I can’t look to the right or to the left, even when fear creeps in.  And I must think of His Word day and night so that I am careful to do all that He has commanded me to do.  

As I started moving forward towards the launch, I began praying about the specific direction I was to take.  I didn’t want to limit myself to only reaching out to life influencers even though that is a VERY important piece to all of this.  I desired to do even more. I began seeing that everything that God had taught me could go under the umbrella of “Don’t Wait.” He confirmed this through the next verse.

“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”  James 4:14

We don’t have time to wait because we are here for such a short period of time.  This verse, like all of the others, grabbed me and I knew for sure that “Don’t Wait” was to be the name of whatever this is that I’m doing.  To be honest, I’m still not sure where this is all going. Will this remain just a blog? What else does God have planned? I have no clue how many people will be reached.  Maybe just a handful. Maybe more. But, the one thing I do know is I will continue to follow God as He leads me.

The fear is still there. It crept back in from September through December of 2019.  What will my pastor friends think of this? Will they judge me? Will they think this is ridiculous?  What if people laugh behind my back? What if I put something out there that I regret? Once it’s out there, I can’t get it back.  What if I misinterpret verses in the Bible and I lead people to believe the wrong ideas? What if I post something that I’m chastised for?  Can I handle that? I’m just being honest. The fear has been real and at times paralyzing. God once again used His Word to get my attention.

“But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.”  Acts 20:24 TLB

This was another eye-opener and is exactly where my heart lies.  If I nestle myself in my comfy little bubble and don’t do the work assigned to me by Jesus and if I neglect telling people about God’s love, my life is WORTHLESS.  It will be for nothing. I don’t want that to be the case. I long for people to experience the peace and goodness of God that I’ve experienced in my life. He’s all you need.  We all have a place in us that can only be filled by Him and Him alone. We often try to fill that with money, power, earthly treasures, alcohol, or any number of things. But, these will never fill that emptiness.  I can no longer sit back – I have to speak out. I’m sure people will criticize. I’m sure they’ll have negative opinions on things that I write. Some will disagree and may be very vocal about it. I recognize that I am not the greatest writer and am not a super dynamic person.  But, God has instructed me to do this and I will be obedient. I’m sure fear will continue to creep in, but I will keep my eyes on Him. I will not look to the right or to the left. If even one life is touched and brought to salvation, it will all be worth it.  

If you have never experienced this peace that I speak of, don’t wait!  Reach out to me on FACEBOOK or through email ( found on my Contact page) and I can walk you through how to grab onto this tranquility that only God can bring.  Or if you feel called to do something new, DO IT! Remember, we are a mist that will appear for a short time and then we’ll vanish.  Don’t keep sitting in your fear. Life is too short. Reach out and fulfill your calling, no matter your stage of life. And whatever you do, DON’T WAIT!