I have to confess—between my husband and me, I’m the impatient one. I like things to happen fast—right now, if possible. I easily get restless when I don’t see progress, even if it’s small. That’s why I’m constantly challenging myself to keep moving, even if it’s just something like filling a trash bag with things we don’t need. Stagnation? It drives me nuts. I am, without a doubt, a big work in progress.

The last few months have been a real rollercoaster. We started off busy—there was so much to do, so many places to go—and then, suddenly… everything slowed down. It wasn’t that things stopped completely, but they just crawled along at such a slow pace. My impatience can be overwhelming at times, and I know it could drive my husband crazy. But thank God for his patience and for the way he always knows how to comfort and encourage me. Still, the "not yet" moments are hard to accept.

And then there’s our cat, Moe. As I’ve been observing him, I realized how much I have in common with him. Moe gets his dinner at the same time every day. While I was in Brazil taking care of my mom, my husband somehow shifted Moe’s 4 a.m. breakfast to a more manageable 5 p.m. dinner, which I absolutely love! So, I’ve kept the new routine going. But Moe, being Moe, always comes earlier than dinnertime, asking for his meal (mind you, he has dry food available all day!). He’ll rub against my legs, meow in that sweet voice only a cat can have, roll around on the kitchen floor, or plop himself between my feet while I’m doing dishes—all in a desperate plea for dinner. And every day, I have to tell him, “Not yet, sweetheart. Not yet.” But he doesn’t give up—he keeps asking until it’s time, and finally, he gets his favorite wet food.

Watching Moe, it hit me—I’m just like him when it comes to God. I keep going back, asking and asking, thinking God might have forgotten me. And every time, His answer is, “Not yet.” But His "not yet" has protected me from things I didn’t even know about, from dangers and disappointments, even a hurricane. His "not yet" has led me to blessings and opportunities I never would have encountered if I’d gotten what I wanted, when I wanted it.

I’m reminded of Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Waiting is hard, but God’s timing is perfect. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” His plans are always better than ours, even when we don’t understand them.

Sometimes, God’s "not yet" is a gift. It’s His way of preparing us, growing us, or shielding us from something we can’t see. Like Moe, I have to trust that my heavenly Father hasn’t forgotten me, that He knows what’s best, and that He will provide in His perfect time. “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him” (Lamentations 3:25).

So, if you're in a season of waiting, like me, take heart. God's "not yet" is not a "no." It's an invitation to trust Him more deeply, to grow in faith, and to rest in His goodness. The waiting is not wasted—He’s working all things together for your good (Romans 8:28). Trust Him in the waiting, for He never forgets us.