If you are reading this, you probably – or let me rephrase this – CERTAINLY have experienced a delay in your life in one form or the other.

Delay is defined as a period of time by which something is late or postponed.

It doesn’t matter if the delay is a life-changing matter or a wait in traffic, there’s just something about it that makes one feel like:

Urgh!

Why is DELAY hard or unpleasant to say the least?

As I coach, “reframing” is one of my favourite skills with my clients, and I use it a lot on myself too.

So here’s a reframed thought: What if your delay is actually a divine conspiracy?

Here’s the context for my delay “money story”…

I have a personal coach – a requirement by the Coaches Training Institute in order to complete my current certification program. We must only use a coach from within the institute, and the going rate for CTI coaches is $200-$500 per hour.

Realizing that obtaining a CTI certification wasn’t going to be easy on the bank, I wanted to ensure I was offsetting these costs monthly and on time.

So immediately after my first session with my coach way back in July, I asked for the invoice but I didn’t receive it. The second month came by, and then the third. No invoice.

I was beginning to feel a little anxious about the huge chunk that I will eventually pay.

Well…she finally sent me the first invoice, along with some sincere apologies.

Two weeks before receiving the invoice, I reconnected with someone who believes in me, my vision and passion for the corporate world. He had asked me what I was up to and I told him I was pursuing my certification in coaching.

He then offered to pay off whatever was remaining from my training. I immediately thought of my outstanding coaching bills.

This week, I sent all the invoices to him. They were paid off immediately, including my future sessions…wow!

So this morning, I had a session with my coach and I shared the blessing that came out of the delayed invoices with her. She was so blessed and encouraged as much as I was. She understood the higher purpose in what seemed like “dropping the ball” on her part.

What a joy it was to discern this divine conspiracy together.

Trusting God when I don’t understand is one of the biggest lessons I am learning, and it’s almost like a theme in my life.

Here’s what I was reminded of…

Some unpleasant events that we experience may actually be part of a greater story with a joyful ending.

When we are tempted to be frustrated or fretful about delays in our lives, we should also simultaneously remember that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

There is always a plan, even when it doesn’t look like it. We see things from a limited perspective. God sees everything. There’s always a bigger picture.

He is intricately involved in the tiny details of our lives, including our invoices.

Reflecting on this, I feel so supported, loved and nurtured.

I am growing in the awareness that things don’t have to fit a certain schedule or time frame, because there are many factors at play especially when things don’t click as expected.

In conclusion, whenever you find yourself in a place where things appear “held”…I hope you will be reminded of the “greater plan”. It may be that God is working behind the scenes to design something that is bigger and better than what you can think of, or imagine.

 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”