And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. – Genesis 12:2, KJV

In Genesis 12:2-4, God promised Abraham to make a nation of him. Eleven years later and tired of waiting on God, Sarah, unable to bear children, suggested that Abraham take her maid Hagar to wife (Genesis 16). He did, and Ishmael was born. Immediately contention arose between Sarah and Hagar, and when Isaac was born to Sarah thirteen years later, Abraham had to send away Ishmael and Hagar from the family (Genesis 21). By taking matters into their own hands, Abraham and Sarah corrupted God’s perfect vision by inserting into the equation man’s imperfect timing. Family strife and family pain followed.

Some of the biggest mistakes Christians make result from impatience. God gives us a peek into the future, a glimpse of some work or some relationship that He has in store for us. The vision enthralls us and thrills us, and we are so spellbound by the vision that we must have it now. We take matters into our own hands to accelerate God’s future into our present, and when we do, we employ methods that are not of God. These methods alienate us from God, but they also alienate us from the ones we love on Earth. Our relationships with family and friends can be severely strained – even severed – all because we try to leap into God’s vision before we are ready. God must prepare our character before we are able to accept the responsibility of His vision. If we force ourselves into the responsibility before we are ready to bear it, our immaturity will reek havoc on us and on those around us. Once God has finished preparing our character, transitioning into His vision will be natural, simple, and painless. If we force ourselves into the vision ahead of God’s schedule, we will be met with strife.

Wait for God. Don’t rush. It is worth the wait.