Everything doesn’t need to be spoken as soon as we think it. And ideas shared prematurely risk being aborted before they have the chance to grow and mature. There’s wisdom in allowing things to gestate before attempting to birth it into the world.
For instance, after conception a baby still needs roughly 40 weeks to gestate in his mother’s womb before he’s ready to enter the world. And many complications are likely if he’s born premature.
And it seems this same pattern is needed when God places things in our heart. For example, when Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem he did not immediately share what God had put in his heart. It appears he allowed the plans to gestate before sharing it with others.
To be sure, there are times in which God gives us a glimpse of what he’s up to in our story or the new adventure he’s calling us into. And naturally in our zeal we want to share this with others.
However, not everyone can hold the space needed to allow these thoughts to properly gestate. And when exposed prematurely – the initial critiques and criticisms from others, even well meaning, might cause us to dismiss the calling even before we fully understood it ourselves. We might also be attempting to do good before we’re ready to carry the weight required of us.
Allowing things to grow in the hidden places of our heart, and perhaps with our trusted others, gives us the chance to more fully appreciate what God is trying to birth in our story.
To be clear, this doesn’t mean we keep things a secret. But it is a call to be wise and discerning regarding who we share these deep movements of our heart with. And we don’t want to shortchange the process by sharing prematurely with those unable to help us wait and see what God is knitting together in our souls.
In the end, the good God has placed in your heart often needs time to gestate. Don’t miss it by rushing ahead. Find your trusted others to help you wait and give birth at just the right time.
Photo by megan lynette on Unsplash
