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Endurance, staying power, tolerance, lack of complaint, persistence, fortitude, and serenity are synonyms for patience. Another possibility is the idea of Divine Timing as a different lens with which to view a situation. My hope and intention are to provide an opportunity to look back at your experiences and notice Divine Timing that you may have overlooked, not detected, or paid attention to. Divine Timing will assist in reframing or even producing an “Aha” about some of your expectations and undertakings.
Maybe you haven’t thought a lot about Divine Timing. This new adventure in retirement has gifted me with experiencing this new adventure. Writing this has expanded my awareness to some deeper understanding of Divine Timing in my life over many years.
This newest adventure is the arrival of a long-awaited dream, but I can remember asking Spirit what was taking so long in manifesting this experience. I began thinking back to a time before any personal spiritual awareness. The kids were young, and I truly wanted to live, be somewhere else, and get out of Florida. I didn’t have any particular place in mind, just go, travel, be someplace different.
About a year into my New Thought journey, travels and time away began taking place. First, journeys became more frequent, then an opportunity to live in Scotland for a couple of years arrived. In Scotland opportunities to visit London, the English countryside and then other countries in Europe arrived.
On returning to the United States, I lived in eight different locations, all beautiful, providing professional and spiritual growth opportunities. Interesting travels continued, including several return trips to Europe. Again, I was receiving what I asked for, manifesting longed-for dreams without remembering the asking.
I often thought about living the full-time RV life and sometimes fussed at Spirit without recognizing what I was already receiving and continuing to receive from previous requests. I thoroughly enjoyed what I had, that isn’t the point; I failed to recognize answers to my earlier request.
When I returned to live in Navarre, Florida, near my mother, I specifically said to Spirit, “Please, I am tired of moving every few months. I don’t want to stay in Florida, but I really don’t want to move again until a more permanent move comes along.”
After Mom died, I wanted to move from Navarre to Pensacola because I don’t like Navarre. For two years, I did everything possible to sell my house, and nothing happened. I was fed up. My mantra was, “Get me outa here, God!” But, unfortunately, I didn’t remember that particular and heartfelt request to Spirit. “I really don’t want to move again until a more permanent move comes along.”
As soon as the negotiations for the position as minister in Huntsville, Alabama was complete multiple offers arrived, and the house sold in perfect timing. The move to Huntsville lasted for fifteen years and only changed on retirement and beginning this new journey of the RV dream. The message here is not so much be careful what you ask for because you might get it, but REMEMBER what you asked for when it arrives. Divine Timing is evident in manifestation.
It took living this RV dream life to realize I wouldn’t have enjoyed it earlier on my journey. I like doing things, being busy, being part of a community. Because the RV dream failed to arrive earlier, opportunities to live other dreams arrived, some long-forgotten until looking back and remembering the asking. A wonderful thing about RV life is moving to different places every few weeks, but often moving allows no opportunity to create community connections. I enjoyed those connections several times in my work life, connections that came from a forgotten dream.
I loved my years as a minister in Huntsville with connections to the larger community, opportunities to be involved in the diverse community of interfaith and community leadership. Divine Timing was evident from the first Sunday. A visitor arrived before church service with an invitation to an Interfaith Discussion Group the following Wednesday. That meeting began an interfaith journey and brought community connections and experiences that are priceless. My mantra went from, “Get me outa here God,” to, “Thank you, God.”
What’s the point of my story? While developing this essay, I recognized the fulfillment and Divine Timing of those earlier dreams. The order and timing were perfect in ways I could not have imagined for personal and spiritual growth.
My invitation and challenge are to reflect on your own journey. What did you ask for, and have you forgotten about? How have different aspects of your life manifested from those statements, complaints, requests? Contemplate possible negative situations you may have claimed. Listen to your inner voice as you go about your daily activities. Are there negatives in there, even negative jokes? Reframe those. For situations long past, explore the timing and results. Make note of things you experienced as negative but have created positive outcomes. Instead of patience, Divine Timing.
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Carol Landry
Carol officially retired in November 2018, after many years of ministry at Unity Church on the Mountain in Huntsville, AL. Prior to ministry, Carol provided Career Counseling workshops for the military and a variety of downsizing businesses. She sold 95% of her worldly goods to continue her love of travel. Carol joined her daughter and son-in-law living the full-time RV life on the road. In 18 months she has traveled from coast to coast and back to Alabama. The process will continue as she follows where ever the road leads. She has traveled to Canada, Europe, and Turkey and lived in many towns in a variety of states. Her writing now includes a new foray into poetry.
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