“But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” Habakkuk 2:3 (TLB)
If I don’t make plans in life, I'm just going to drift. In Genesis 24, the story of Eleazar gives helpful steps for getting where you want to go.
We’ve already learned why it’s important to:
- Determine your present position
- Describe exactly what you want
- Find a promise from God
- Ask God for help
- Identify the barriers
- Create a step-by-step plan
Here's another step: Be patient and persistent.
Accomplishing big goals in life isn’t going to happen overnight. The bigger my goal, the longer it will take. The more significant my goal, the more time and energy will be involved. Reaching goals takes time and discipline.
Nothing great is ever accomplished without patience, persistence, determination, and endurance. I need to set big goals and spend the rest of my life going after them.
Eleazar did this. Genesis 24:21 says, “The servant watched [Rebekah] in silence, wondering whether or not the LORD had given him success in his mission” (NLT). And Genesis 24:33 says, “Then food was served. But Abraham’s servant said, ‘I don’t want to eat until I have told you why I have come.’ ‘All right,’ Laban said, ‘tell us’” (NLT).
He was an example of great patience and persistence.
Here’s the point: For me to reach my goals, I'm going to have to learn how to delay gratification.
The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people do things unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.
Successful people often do things they don’t feel like doing. Successful people know how to delay gratification. They do the right, tough thing before they do the fun, enjoyable thing.
The Living Bible paraphrase says, “But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (Habakkuk 2:3).
God says it’s going to happen—but it’s going to take a while. One of the marks of maturity is learning the difference between no and not yet.
And God is more interested in what I am than what I do. He’s much more interested in my character than my career. Because I'm not taking my career to heaven. I'm taking my character. So while I'm working on my goal, God is working on me.
In summary:
Achieving big goals takes time, discipline, and endurance. Success requires delayed gratification—doing the hard things first. Like Eleazar in Genesis 24, I must stay focused and trust God’s timing. Maturity means recognizing "not yet" is not "no." While I pursue my goals, God is shaping my character.