EP.16: You’re Exactly Where You’re Supposed To Be

It’s easy to forget that the life you’re living today is the only thing that matters. That whatever goals and dreams you have that haven’t come true yet are still there and still available to you – in God’s perfect provision and timing.

Sometimes, this isn’t the easiest thought to remember – that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be right now. Because I look ahead at the horizon and I think, “But I want to be there!” “Why am I not there yet?” “Why is it taking so long?”

Listen in as I describe how I shift my mindset from feeling behind and stuck, to remembering I’m exactly where I need to be.

Hey, friends, welcome back!

Today’s podcast episode is going to be a short one. I was sitting in my office last week and I heard this phrase … It’s one that I’ve heard several times over, but it just came to me at the exact right time, as I was feeling overwhelmed, and feeling like I was behind.

And I wanted to share with you what the phrase is in hopes that it might help you sink into your day a little bit easier. The phrase is this: You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Do you believe that?

Whatever your season or circumstance, God sees you, right where you are. He knows where you hope to be. And he hasn’t forgotten. And sometimes I feel like we just need to hear that message because it’s really easy to feel like we are in this life all alone. And that we are fighting for goals that no one else cares about but us. And that it feels like we’re never going to get there.

I wonder if you need to hear this message as much as I did. Because I literally have to remind myself of this very thought, almost daily. It’s so easy to get caught in the weeds. It’s easy to forget that the life you’re living today is the only thing that matters. That whatever goals and dreams you have, that haven’t come true yet, are still there. And they’re still available to you in God’s perfect provision and timing.

(If you heard that little meow in the background, my daughter’s cat Ollie came in to help me record this morning.)

I just think sometimes this phrase is not the easiest thought to remember – that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be right now. Because especially for me when I look at the horizon, I think but I want to be there. Why am I not there yet? What is taking so long? But then I can take a breath and sink into my quiet time. And I’m reminded that the only thing God has for me is today. This moment. The one I’m living and breathing in right now.

He has whatever I need tomorrow already mapped out for me. So it’s only my job to stay fully focused on the present. And since I talked to him about anything and everything under the sun, I trust that he already knows where I want to be. And I trust he already has the roadmap to get there.

For the record, though, I don’t tell myself any of this to make myself feel better. This is not an attempt to mask what’s really going on. I believe this concept to my core because I’ve seen the road unfold before me more beautifully than if I had drawn the map myself. I have a history of seeing the amazing work that God does in my life. When I do what he’s asked me to do, which is to stay fully focused on the present.

I understand that he only gives me what he has for me today, no matter how much I want to kick and scream and demand answers about where we’re going and how long it will take to get there. He only ever asks me to focus on the present.

By the way, this is so hard, and does not come naturally for most of us. But when I remember to do it this way, when I live for only the moment I’m currently in, something incredible happens. There’s a peace that washes over me that isn’t there when my mind is planted in the future. When I trust that God is handling the steps that are coming but aren’t here yet. I can breathe easier. I can live more freely. I can rest and I can see with more clarity, the beauty that’s right in front of me.

Often, I will end my journal entries with a single question. What do you have for me today, God? And you know what? His answers are so basic they’re almost laughable. “Take a nap.” He’ll say, “Call your mom.” “Be fully present with your daughters. They need you.”

Not once have I asked this question and heard him rattle off my to do list items or hear him bog me down with worry about what’s happening later in the week or next weekend. He only ever gives the simplest of instructions.

It’s taken me a long time to realize the simplicity of living this way; of living into each moment as it comes rather than running 10 steps ahead of where I am, worrying about how I’m going to get there faster. And I can sit here and look back on all of those seemingly insignificant, incremental steps I’ve heard in the stillness and clearly see, the path I’m on. The way he’s helping me write the story of my life is full of ease. And the minute I start to veer from the path by getting ahead of myself, I feel the tension of being out of alignment; of being off the path.

This is one of the reasons why I look forward to my stillness practice every day. Every day I’m willing to sink in is a chance to remind myself, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I can tell God all the thoughts that are swirling around in my mind, and he echoes back, the only instructions I need. This allows me to fully let go of the tasks and happenings that aren’t mine to handle yet and truly live the life that’s right in front of me.

I don’t know what kind of a season you’re in right now. But I hope this is encouraging to you, that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be. And Your only task is to fully live, present and awake to the moment you’re in.

I hope this brings you peace and perhaps even a little more joy. And if nothing else, I hope it takes the pressure of expectation and worry off your mind.

Until next time, thanks for listening. Bye for now.