As women, we sometimes wonder if we will ever get a chance to do what we long to do. A career, hobbies, or travel may be put on the backburner as time ticks by and we take care of everyone else.

Having been completely sidelined by health issues for over a decade, this feeling is not unfamiliar to me. In fact, it often rears its ugly head at the most inopportune moments. I often feel an overwhelming sense of frustration that everything I seemed to have worked so hard to gain evades my grasp at the last moment.

But there is one truth that sticks with me through the struggles and trials of life. It helps to calm the storm when despair rears it ugly head. Time and time again, I remember this: sometimes it is simply not our turn.

We may have to wait in line while it’s our children’s turn, or our spouse’s turn, or while our ailing parents or extended family need our help. We may despair as our dreams go seemingly unfulfilled – and time keeps marching on.

But remember this: just because it is not our turn now, doesn’t mean it will never be our turn. We can hone our skills and plans in our precious free time. We can take baby steps towards our goals. And there is an upside to the wait: patience, compassion, empathy, experience, and understanding are all inevitable results.

While we think we are simply serving and waiting while life passes us by, we are gaining the most precious of characteristics. It is not the reward we receive at the end of this life that matters – but rather, who we become.

God’s plan for us is not always consistent with our plan for ourselves. You know the saying, “Set your goals in cement and your plans in the sand?” God may have a few detours in mind for your life’s journey. But trust in Him – the end result of His plan for you will be far more amazing than anything mortal minds can conceive. Your turn will come. And when it does, the wait will have made you all the more powerful – and the moment that much more significant.