At 31 years of age, Deshauna Barber is quite an accomplished woman. In 2016 she won the Miss USA pageant and placed in the top nine for the Miss Universe pageant. Now she serves as a captain in the US Army Reserves and travels as a motivational speaker.

Deshauna tells the story of making the track team in middle school and being in need of a new pair of running shoes. The day her mother comes home with them, Barber noticed the box says, “Size 9.” In seventh grade, Deshauna wore a size 5! “Momma, these shoes are too big.” Her mother replied, “I know. I did that on purpose.” Deshauna replied, “Why would you purposefully buy me shoes that are too big?” “Because I know you’re going to grow into them.”

The next day at practice, shooting out of her starting position, Deshauna hit the track…literally. She fell on her face because the shoes were so big. Obviously, she was frustrated at not being able to move as quickly or with the level of grace and finesse she wanted. Because of the shoes, she was forced to slow down and stick it out until she grew into them.

The Bible tells us that God works all things for the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28) and that he works in us to provide motivation and drive to do his will (Phil. 2:13). Frequently, though, we discover that God’s work comes at a really slow pace. This can often lead to frustration with him. “God, why have you not given me ______ yet?” “Lord, I need this pain to go away. Why haven’t you taken it yet?” “God, we want to grow! Why are you not sending people our way?”

Sometimes I think God slows a process in our lives because we still need to grow into what we are asking for. It may be our faith, resources, mentality, or resilience, but in his infinite knowledge, God knows that we are not ready for everything we ask for. He understands that giving us the end product without the preparation would be disastrous for the future. Therefore, he forces us to slow down and “grow into the shoes.” We may not be able to go the pace we want, but we are making the progress God knows we need to make.

The Psalmist said, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land” (Psalms 37:7-9).

So, if you find yourself waiting longer than you expected for God to make something happen, don’t despair. It may be that he’s given you a pair of shoes that are just a little too big.

Cory Waddell