In Your Hands

Stop, Look and Listen

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

-------

How do we know when God wants us to stop... look... and listen before taking the next step in life?

That was my question once - during a time when I did not finish my dissertation after three years of doctoral study.
I remember being ambitious... persistent... and deeply driven.

I could see it all in my mind - walking across the stage in my doctoral gown... tossing my cap into the air... finally hearing the words, "Doctor."

I dreamed of soaring high - of reaching a land flowing with "milk and honey," a place where opportunities awaited with open arms.

But when Graduation Day came...
I was not among those marching.
My dissertation - unfinished.
My heart - crushed.

And I asked God, "Why now? Why stop me here, Lord, when I'm almost at the finish line?"
Then I realized - one year for writing was not enough... not because I lacked effort, but because God had more to teach me than what could fit into any book.

Yes, I worked hard. I didn't waste time. But I had robbed time from my family... from moments that could never be repeated.
While chasing deadlines, I missed the laughter of my children. I missed the quiet joy of simply being present.
And when one cancellation after another delayed my defense, I grew impatient...
until God gently whispered, "Slow down, my child."

So I slowed down.
And when I did, life returned.
No more research papers scattered across the table. No more nights buried in data and drafts.

Instead, weekends were filled with laughter, shared meals, and togetherness.
I began to truly see - to look into the faces of my children, to enjoy their smiles, to hear their stories.
In that stillness, I realized I had not failed - I was simply being recalibrated by God.

He wasn't delaying my dream.
He was developing my heart.

I still believed with all my heart that it was God's plan for me to earn that Ph.D. -
but He wanted to make sure I understood something first:
The person He wanted me to become mattered more than the title I wanted to earn.
My own mold was imperfect.
But His molding - His timing - was perfect.

He reminded me that this journey was never just about gaining a title,
but about reflecting His character in a place where titles are common but humility is rare.
He wanted me to carry His name more than any academic title after mine.

And so I learned...
that before every new direction in life, God puts up spiritual traffic signs along our path.
And on one of them, written in bold divine letters, it said:
"STOP. LOOK. AND LISTEN."

Stop - when you're rushing ahead of His plan.
Look - not just at where you want to go, but at what He's doing right where you are.
Listen - not to the noise of ambition, but to the whisper of His Spirit saying, "This is the way, walk in it."

When I slowed down, I began to hear Him in new ways -
in the laughter of my children,
in the stillness of morning prayer,
in the quiet assurance that He was not finished with me yet.

I began to build memories instead of manuscripts.
And those memories became sacred pages in the story of God's faithfulness.

Then one day - in His perfect time -
after nearly a year since I wrote that reflection,
I finally marched across that stage.

Yes, I earned my doctorate.
But this time... not for my glory - for His.
Because I learned that the degree was just a reward.
The lesson was the real gift.

Friends, sometimes God stops us not to punish us,
but to protect us... to prepare us... to perfect us.
When He tells you to stop, don't resist.
When He says look, don't ignore what's around you.
When He says listen, open not just your ears - but your heart.

Because the other side of the road is not always the destination.
Crossing it carefully with Him - that's where true success lies.
And when you finally walk across the stage of your own answered prayer,
you'll know it was worth the wait.
Because you will have walked, not in your time -
but in God's perfect time.

Prayer:
Teach me, oh Father God, to stop doing things my way, to be still and know that You are my God when I am rushing things and wearing my soul for things that do not last. Create in me a desire to look only to You, my only surety in this lost and troubled times. Help me to listen to Your voice and never to the deception of different voices diverting my attention. I'm a stranger in this world, lead me, show me the way, oh Lord, to where I can be home with You. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

-------
The writer finally graduated this year (April 2016) after almost a year when she had written this piece.