When the Wait Feels Heavy: Learning to Endure with Longsuffering
Let’s talk about something we don’t often slow down long enough to name: longsuffering.
It’s one of those biblical words we read in Scripture, especially if you grew up hearing the King James Version, but it’s easy to breeze past. Maybe because we assume it’s just a fancy word for patience. Or maybe because deep down, we don’t want to suffer long. But if you’ve ever obeyed God and found yourself in a hard in-between season, you’ve experienced it, even if you didn’t have the language for it.
And right now, that’s where I am. In the middle. Walking out obedience. Waiting on release. Learning to keep showing up when it would be easier to shut down. It hasn’t been easy. But God has been using this time to grow me and teach me what longsuffering really means, and why it matters.
So what is longsuffering, anyway?
Longsuffering means patient endurance. It’s not just waiting. It’s how you wait. It’s the Holy Spirit giving you the strength to keep going when your emotions, energy, or timeline say otherwise.
The word used in the original Greek is makrothumia, which means slow to anger. It’s being long-tempered. It’s holding space for tension and trusting God with what you can’t control.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith…” Galatians 5:22 (KJV)
So many of us can testify to the beauty of joy and peace. But longsuffering? That one hits different. Because it forms you in the fire. It humbles you when the outcome is still uncertain. It refines your faith, not in theory, but in real life.
What God is teaching me in this season
There are some things I’ll share later when the timing is right, but for now, I’ll just say this: I’m in a place where I’ve already said yes to God. I’ve already made the decision to obey. But that doesn’t mean everything shifted overnight.
I’m still in the waiting. Still doing the work. Still carrying responsibilities while longing for release. And it’s been stretching. There have been days where I’ve been in survival mode, felt the pressure of too much on my plate, and wondered when I’d catch my breath again.
But even in this, God has been near. And He’s been showing me that this season is not a punishment, but preparation.
Here are some of the things He’s been reminding me:
1. Obedience doesn’t always bring immediate relief.
We want to believe that once we follow God, things get lighter. But sometimes obedience leads to heavier days before it leads to harvest. And even then, He is still GOOD.
2. Longsuffering is more than enduring. It’s trusting.
It’s not about pretending everything’s fine. It’s about continuing to trust God’s character when your circumstances haven’t changed. It’s choosing to believe that His timing is perfect, even when yours feels pressed.
3. There’s purpose in the middle.
Even when you feel unseen, uncelebrated, or stretched too thin, God is doing something in you. Every act of faithfulness is building spiritual muscle. Every tear is watering future fruit. He wastes nothing.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us…” 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
He’s not slow. He’s intentional.
How I’m walking through it (and how you can too)
This isn’t just about theory. Here are a few things that have been helping me walk through this season of longsuffering with grace:
1. Create rhythms, not just routines.
I’ve learned to build grace-filled rhythms into my days. Whether it’s reading Scripture while my tea water boils, praying in the shower, or listening to praise-filled music while I clean up after a long day, these rhythms help me stay grounded in the Word even when my schedule is full.
2. Anchor yourself in one verse each day.
Sometimes, you just need one Scripture to cling to when everything feels like too much. Write it down. Put it on a sticky note. Let it be the truth that steadies you when emotions start to rise.
Here are a few that have helped me:
“He gives strength to the weary.” (Isaiah 40:29)
“Let us not grow weary in doing good.” (Galatians 6:9)
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
3. Talk to someone who will pray you through.
You don’t have to spill every detail, but you also don’t have to carry this alone. Whether it’s a friend, sister, mentor, or prayer partner- bring someone into the weight of what you’re carrying. There’s healing in being seen.
4. Care for your body and your soul.
Some of the most spiritual things you can do are practical. Take a rest. Move your body. Drink water. Eat nourishing food. Sometimes, the breakthrough you need is on the other side of rest.
5. Simplify where you can.
This is not the time to do all the things. Ask God what actually matters in this season and release the rest. You’re allowed to pause, delegate, or say no. Boundaries are a part of obedience too.
6. Celebrate the small wins.
That day you kept going when you wanted to quit? That counts. That moment you chose grace when you felt frustrated? That matters. These are holy things. Write them down and let them remind you of how far God has already brought you.
Let’s wrap this up
You might be in your own season of longsuffering right now. Maybe you’re waiting on a breakthrough, carrying responsibilities that feel heavy, or walking through obedience that feels harder than you thought it would.
You are not forgotten. You are not failing. And you are not falling behind.
God is working in your waiting. He is strengthening you even when you feel weak. He is preparing you for what’s next, even if you can’t see it yet.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
Hold onto that. There is a due season coming. There is fruit ahead. But even now, in the middle, He is with you.
You are not just surviving. You’re becoming.
You are not just waiting. You are growing.
And your faithfulness in this season is not in vain.
Be blessed and stay hidden in Him,
Jean 🤍
