Did you ever have a friend you couldn’t wait to introduce? Someone you are so proud of you want everyone to know them? Cathy Baker is one of those people for me.

I was first introduced to Cathy by a mutual friend. We talked informally via e-mail and social media, connected in person at a writing conference and progressed to phone calls where we shared our hearts and lives.

Cathy is one of those people who isn’t afraid to share the good, the bad and the ugly. She is warm and real and easy to talk to…and she’s doing this really cool thing – building a tiny house – like a real one.

You can learn more about Cathy Baker at the end of this post – there are links to her website and social media. I was beyond thrilled when she agreed to guest blog in the middle of launching a new site, contributing to The Write Conversation, writing a book and oh yeah, building a tiny house.

I stink at waiting. There, I said it.

It’s one of the reasons why you’ll never see me at a traditional checkout counter when self-checkout is an option. And it’s why I often choose Internet shopping (no waiting in traffic!) over the brick and mortar stores, with Barnes and Noble being the exception, simply because I can’t imagine a world without it.

The art of waiting was one lesson I didn’t expect (or want) to learn during the building process of my tiny house.

But I should’ve known something was up right from the get-go.

On a brisk March morning, with tools in hand, my husband and I traipsed up the hill out back, full of excitement and anticipation. Within the first hour of leveling the ground for the foundation, Brian dropped this little love bomb, “You won’t believe how many things we’ll need to do before this tiny house is finished. It’s going to be a long process.”

Bless his heart, he didn’t know how quickly southern girls could make things happen when they put their mind to it.

Let’s just say it isn’t his heart in need of blessing.

In this Tiny House Tuesday post I share about the wait involved with the windows. But that was just the beginning of many waits to come.

The term “weekend warriors” should’ve given me a hint as to what the future held. Who knew it was code for slow and steady, with emphasis on slow? Apparently, Brian did. Due to his hectic work schedule, four acres to mow, and a pool to keep healthy, the only day we’re able to work on the house is Saturday. And when the humidity kicked up its heels in June, we had to limit our time to morning hours only. That’s a lot of work to do in a short span of time.

Practically every major step along the way—the foundation, the underlayment for the sides, and the building of the roof—have required waiting periods for one reason or another.

The “point-me-to-the-nearest-self-checkout-line” part of me struggles to find peace in the wait, especially when I consider that we’re still months away from the completion of the Tiny House on the Hill.

But there are some things one cannot ignore.

Like the reality of the wait. When it finally sank in that we were in for the long haul, I knew I could either continue to employ the denial strategy, or take a few moments to list what I’m learning about waiting in this process. So I made a list:

1. Just because there’s waiting in one area doesn’t mean the work has stopped behind-the-scenes. Brian is always sketching and planning our next move regardless of where we are in the process.

2. Instead of focusing on what I see, I need to focus instead on the unseen—the end result. I need to resist frustration and stay focused on the big picture: to have a light on a hill, disguised as a tiny house.

3. Every time there is a wait, we learn something new, and sometimes that something new is helpful.

After making the list, I realized the “waiting truths” also hold fast for the waiting periods in life.

1. When life looks as if it’s on hold due to financial issues, test results, the loss of a job, etc., God never stops working behind-the-scenes in our lives. Psalm 121 says that He watches over us…that He neither sleeps nor slumbers. In the spiritual realm, where true life resides, God is always moving on our behalf.

2. When I begin to wring my hands with worry during a waiting period, it’s because my eyes have shifted from Jesus to my circumstances. Hebrews 12:2 MSG says it best:

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.

Every wait is the gift of opportunity in a sovereign and loving Father's hand. Cathy Baker, The Tiny House on the Hill Click To Tweet

3. Every wait is the gift of opportunity in a sovereign and loving Father’s hand. We are not our own, but His, and when we trust Him to bring our good and His glory from our wait, trials, and circumstances, we not only survive the wait—we thrive.

“That miserable, uncomfortable, painful silence is one of God’s most powerful tools to set us free.” –John Piper

The tiny house building process is offering up a multitude of opportunities to stretch more than my back muscles, and for this, I am thankful.

What’s one thing you choose to remember during a time of waiting?

Cathy Baker is an award-winning writer and author of Pauses for the Vacationing Soul: A Sensory-Based Devotional Guide for the Beach as well as Pauses for the Vacationing Soul: A Sensory-Based Devotional Guide for the Mountains. Cathy is a Hope*Writer and Bible teacher who has taught numerous studies and workshops over the past twenty-five years. Her work has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Upper Room, and Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family. She is a monthly contributor to The Write Conversation; Writer’s Digest 101 Top Websites for Writers. She and her husband, Brian, live in the foothills of the Carolinas with a beautiful view of Glassy Mountain and a soon-to-be tiny house.

To connect with Cathy, visit The Tiny House on the Hill @ https://www.cathybaker.org. Become a part of the THH community and receive a free gift, “10 {Tiny} Prayers that Offer Great Hope.” The tiny prayers included in this pocket-sized publication might just surprise you!

Connect with Cathy here:

https://www.instagram.com/cathysbaker/?hl=en

https://www.cathybaker.org/tiny-house/

https://www.facebook.com/cathy.baker.923