❤️It’s God’s Timing❤️

This morning, I asked a woman in South Africa what time it was.

Her answer?

“It’s God’s timing.”

Well, okay then.

I was literally trying to figure out what time zone she was in. 😂

I wanted to know if we were even on the same day. I had already told her she needed to send me pictures because I’ve always wanted to see places like South Africa.

But her answer stayed with me.

It’s God’s timing.

Maybe because lately I’ve found myself in a place I didn’t expect, surrounded by people I didn’t know, having conversations I couldn’t have planned.

And somehow, it feels like I’ve known some of them much longer than I actually have.

I Didn’t Realize How Much I Missed This

I’ve spent a lot of time by myself.

Apparently, I’ve also spent a lot of that time talking to myself.

I didn’t realize quite how much until I started talking to people again. 😂

Now somebody will say something funny in a comment, I’ll pick it up and run with it, and before long we’re laughing in messages like we’ve known each other for years.

One woman told me she hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time.

I told her, “Me neither. I’ve been talking to myself this whole time. I haven’t had anybody to talk to.”

We laughed, but there was truth underneath it.

I didn’t realize how much I missed simply connecting with people.

Not networking.

Not trying to impress anybody.

Not trying to sell something.

Just people being people.

Laughing.

Praying.

Talking about life.

Checking on each other.

And sometimes saying, “Me too.”

Something Else Has Been Happening

I’ve also been sharing pieces of my story.

Not everything. Not everybody needs access to everything.

But I’ve been honest.

I’ve been vulnerable.

And people have started telling me that something I shared helped them recognize something in their own lives.

I’ve received messages saying, “Thank you for sharing that. You don’t know how much I needed it.”

At first, I didn’t know how to respond.

I wanted to immediately say, “That’s not me. That’s God.”

And I still believe that.

I know where I’ve been.

I know what my life has looked like.

I know the things I’ve survived, the mistakes I’ve made, the things I’ve had to learn and unlearn, and the number of times I’ve had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

So when somebody tells me that something I said helped them, my first thought isn’t, Look what I did.

My first thought is:

God, please don’t let me mess this up.

Guard My Mouth

That’s become part of my prayer.

God, guard my mouth.

Help me keep it shut when I need to keep it shut.

Help me speak when I need to speak.

Don’t let me speak just because I have something to say.

And when You want me to say something, give me the courage to say it.

You lead the way. Here I am.

Because I’ve learned something about helping people:

You don’t always need to have an answer.

Sometimes somebody needs advice.

Sometimes they need prayer.

Sometimes they need somebody to laugh with.

Sometimes they just need another human being to say, “I hear you.”

And sometimes the most loving thing you can do is check on somebody without asking questions they aren’t ready to answer.

You don’t have to know everything they’re going through to let them know they’re not going through it unnoticed.

Learning How to Receive

There’s another part of this that has been harder for me.

People have been kind to me.

Really kind.

They’ve called me sweet. They’ve encouraged me. They’ve told me they appreciate me. They’ve made me feel loved.

At first, I genuinely didn’t know what to do with it.

When you’re accustomed to giving encouragement, receiving it can feel surprisingly uncomfortable at first. 

My instinct was to explain it away.

But I’m learning something.

I can give God the glory and still say thank you.

So now I do.

I tell them, “Y’all are so sweet. You make me feel so loved.”

Because they do.

I’m learning that receiving love doesn’t take anything away from God.

Maybe sometimes receiving it is part of what He’s trying to teach us.

Maybe the Plan Was Bigger Than the Platform

I’ve had ideas about what I thought I was supposed to build.

A blog.

A podcast.

Books.

Coaching.

My art.

I still have those things.

But I’m beginning to understand that maybe I don’t have to decide exactly what all of it is supposed to become.

Maybe my job right now is simply to show up.

To write when there’s something to write.

To create when there’s something inside me that needs creating.

To speak when I’m supposed to speak.

To listen when I’m supposed to listen.

To pray for somebody when they cross my heart.

And apparently, to make friends halfway around the world while performing brain surgery on a resin octopus.

I don’t know either.

This is my life. 😂

It’s God’s Timing

Maybe that’s why her answer struck me.

I was asking a very ordinary question.

“What time is it there?”

And she gave me an answer to a much bigger one.

I don’t know exactly where all of this is going.

For once, I don’t feel like I need to.

I don’t need to force the next step.

I don’t need to have the entire plan.

I don’t need to turn every new relationship into an opportunity or every new idea into a project.

I can simply be present for what is happening now.

I can laugh.

I can listen.

I can create.

I can pray.

I can receive.

I can speak when it’s time to speak and be quiet when it’s time to be quiet.

And I can trust God with what comes next.

This morning, I wanted to know what time it was in South Africa.

Instead, somebody reminded me:

It’s God’s timing.

And right now, that’s enough for me.

— Michelle Outlaw 
She Walked Away