When dreams are put on hold, life becomes mundane; creativity tanks, and things that once held excitement don’t spark joy the way they once did. Our internal thought-processing system downshifts to sloth speed, and we begin running our storyline through the rearview mirror of our lives, as though our best days are behind, rather than ahead. Mounting frustration fuels the fear that the dream will never come to pass. This is typically the place where bad decisions start multiplying.

The biblical story of Abraham (Abram) and Sarah (Sarai) is one such example.

Perhaps you’re familiar with the sordid details of their marriage. In Genesis 15:2, Abraham cries out to God that because he is childless, his estate will pass on to his male relative, Eliezer of Damascus. God’s response? God proclaims that Abraham will not remain childless, but will indeed have a son. Then comes an incredible prophesy that sounds too good to be true. As Abraham looks up into the sky, God tells him that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. This is truly bold and completely audacious as Abraham was already 75 years old, and Sarah, ten years his junior, was well past the childbearing stage. Although it is not specifically stated in the text, I’m fairly certain that Abraham and Sarah shared an assumption that God would move quickly to fulfill this incredible promise. I mean, duh, right?

But then a year passed. Then another. And another. And another. Their farm-to-table nomadic lifestyle continued year after year for 10 straight years. Each planting season gave way to the harvesting of bountiful crops. The servants had babies. The animals had babies. The life cycle rolled on and on and on except for Sarah; she remained barren. Can you imagine the dark shadows of disappointment, discouragement and despair that must have clawed at her each and every day for an entire decade?

Sarah’s fatigued, frustrated and exhausted soul is exposed in Genesis 16:2 when she confesses to Abraham her belief that the Lord has prevented her from bearing children. Having lost hope that God would come through on His word, Sarah called an audible — she instructed Abraham to sleep with her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, in the hope that using a surrogate was the avenue by which she’d receive the promised baby which was long overdue.

Have you stood in similar shoes? Have you stared down the barrel of a long season of wait, but rather than let God handle it in His time and in accordance with His will, you devised your own solution? I’ll be honest. Sarah’s scenario is literally my danger zone; if there’s any wiggle room in the “get ‘er done” department, that’s exactly where the spiritual fight in me begins. I have to dig my heels in and actively resist the temptation to slip into manipulation mode. Otherwise, I begin hurdling the very road blocks that were intended to navigate me in another direction.

Despite our requests for a detailed map and an itinerary, we are handed a compass. While it always points us true north, it never outlines the exact route. Our navigational decisions — based on cues from the compass — will create journeys that contain mistakes and missteps. For example, we will veer off course, make wrong turns, and even take the long and/or difficult way around. In some seasons, when we expect to crest the warm mountain top, we may find ourselves in the middle of a dark, cold valley. These circumstances aren’t punishment — they are opportunities to depend upon God, the only One who can give us the course correction advice we desperately need, if we’re humble enough to ask.

Going back to the story, God did come through on His promise. Sarah, at the age of 90, finally gave birth to her one and only child, Isaac. What a beautiful ending to her incredibly long, difficult, and pain-filled 25 year wait for God to fulfill what He promised.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Our job isn’t to follow our hearts; it is to follow Him. And on those days when it feels like our story has stalled, we must keep in mind that it isn’t over. Instead of stealing the pen from His hand, we must trust the Master Storyteller to write the chapters of our lives, because what He orchestrates will always outshine anything we organize.