Living In Limbo

Life is amazing, isn’t it?

A year ago, I was in a “waiting period” of my life. I had just graduated from the university, and my number one prayer point and priority was to get an internship placement. “God, please grant me this one wish so that I can start, finish, and get my permanent license.”

After waiting for just over 8 months, I got my internship placement. I was happy; life felt hopeful once again. I was working and earning a decent salary. But at the back of my mind, I knew the internship was temporary. It was welcome, but the contract only lasted for a year.

I concluded my internship last month. And now I have been thrown into another waiting period, except now, my prayer point is different. Get a well-paying job, and register and wait for NYSC.

I can share this with you for free; the waiting period sucks. Because while you are fighting to move forward and not remain stagnant, everyone around you seems to not be struggling at all. It’s the one thing that’s brutal about being in your twenties.

You leave the safe structure of the schooling system and get flung into the wilderness of uncertainty and chaos that we know as society. Where previously you could take a quick peek at your mates in school and assess if you are forward or backward, now there is no way to know.

We’re all expected to raw dog life and pray and hope that we are doing the right thing. It’s scary to compare your race with others’ now. Because while your agemate could be married with kids, and their priority could be to put food on the table, another person’s priority could be figuring out how to open another business branch.

I know it’s not helpful to compare, but it’s easier said than done. The emotional and mental toll this takes on peoples is real: the feeling of being left behind, constant restlessness, job uncertainty, etc.

Reframing the Waiting Period

Enough of the sulking! I know we might have gone through some form of waiting period, or we might even be in one right now, waiting on a pending prayer to be answered. It is important that we see this period as an opportunity and make effective use of it.

Because when life is on “play” again, we might not get this opportunity. I have chosen to see this phase as a time to take a breather and plant seeds of future growth.

To work on all the ideas that have been kept on the back burner for however long. To invest in my mental, financial, and personal growth. To work on being an evolved version of myself.

When I think of this, there is a Bible passage that continuously comes to mind: the one where Jesus gave the three stewards talents. He left for a while and returned. He then called the stewards and asked that they gave account on how they used their talents.

One said he invested his and got returns. The other also said the same thing. And the third said he buried his and never made use of them. Whom do you think Jesus was pleased with?

The moral of this story is, do not be stagnant. Try your best to not remain at the same spot you were in the past.

It always helps to learn new skills and invest in personal growth, health, and fitness and to put yourself out there by attending events where you could network and meet new people.

Being in a state of limbo can feel frustrating. But it can only be defined by what you choose to make of it. If you choose to stay stagnant, then you will feel stagnant, and your flame will gradually diminish ever so slightly.

But if you embrace the pause and utilize the free time that it brings with it to maximize your potential, you will hit the ground running when the veil is inevitably lifted.

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Images used are mine...