The Waiting Game

 

The Waiting Game

by Caiden Garner

No one really prepares you for the rush of adulthood. One minute you're celebrating turning 18, and the next, you're drowning in student loan applications, trying to build your credit, juggling job interviews... decisions that carry more weight than you're ready to hold. Everything feels urgent. Everything comes at you all at once. And yet, somehow, you're still forced to play the waiting game.

That’s what no one talks about.

We spend so much time thinking, planning, and overthinking our next move. We make pro/con lists. We lose sleep. We pray for a sign. We talk to friends and family until we’re blue in the face. We rant to ChatGPT. We put in all this effort for one decision — one that could change everything — but still, we wait.

You wait to hear back from schools.

You wait to see if your loan gets approved.

You wait to find out if the job is yours.

You wait for a call, for a shift, for something to click.

You wait to discover your sense of belonging in life.

And the waiting? It’s exhausting. Because when you’re in your early years of adulthood, everything feels like it needs to happen right now. Success. Stability. Answers. You’re constantly being told to have it all figured out. But what if this season of waiting is just as necessary as the season of action?

Maybe God doesn’t rush because He knows the version of us on the other side of the waiting game is stronger. More grounded. Wiser. More grateful.

There’s purpose in the pause.
There’s growth in the delay.
There’s something beautiful about not knowing everything right away.

Honestly, it feels a lot like poker. You do what you can with the hand you’ve been dealt — play smart, take risks, fold when you have to, and hope the next round is better. But there’s still luck involved. There’s still uncertainty. And sometimes, despite your best efforts, you end up in debt before you ever see a win. That’s what this phase feels like: one long, unpredictable game that demands patience, strategy, and a whole lot of faith.

So if you’re like me — tired, anxious, refreshing your email ten times a day and wondering when everything will finally make sense — I just want you to know: you’re not behind. You’re not a failure. You’re just in the middle of the waiting game. And one day, you’ll look back and realize that the waiting wasn’t wasted time. It was preparation.

Keep playing.
Keep trusting.
Keep showing up.

The game doesn’t last forever.