The Space Between the Promise and the Fulfillment

There’s a quiet ache in every journey of purpose, a season when you have seen something about your future, but your present doesn’t yet reflect it.

You carry a conviction, a calling, a whisper of destiny and yet you’re still in the shadows. The door hasn’t opened. The position isn’t yours. The world doesn’t see it yet.

This is the space between the promise and the fulfilment.

And it’s one of the most sacred and most misunderstood seasons of life.

THE BIBLICAL PATTERN: PURPOSE TAKES TIME

In Scripture, we see this pattern over and over again:

David was anointed king as a teenager, but waited over a decade, through caves, exile, and persecution, before wearing the crown.

Joseph had prophetic dreams of leadership, but he endured betrayal, slavery, and prison before he ruled.

Even Jesus waited until age 30 to begin public ministry, though He knew who He was.

The waiting wasn’t wasted. It was forming them into people who could bear the weight of what was to come.

WHO YOU ARE BECOMING IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT YOU'RE WAITING FOR

Sometimes we think the goal is to “arrive.” But often, the process is the point.

In the in-between, you learn:

Faithfulness without applause

Humility without a platform

Conviction without control

This is where your roots go deep, where your identity is shaped, not by outcomes, but by presence.

THE VOICES THAT KEEP YOU ANCHORED

In my journey, I have had the immense gift of two people who never let me forget who I was called to be, even when I was tired, even when I doubted, even when the waiting stretched on.

They didn’t create the name; it didn’t originate with them, but they used it with deep conviction.

They chose to affirm it. To speak over me consistently. And by doing so, they gave the name life, they helped me live into it.

And from one of them came something else, equally powerful: a song.

Sung in my native dialect, it’s now etched in my spirit. A refrain of accountability and reverence that rises within me whenever I’m tempted to drift or compromise:

“Ogo yi Oluwa ye, ogo yi, mase je ko baje.”

(This glory belongs to the Lord. Don’t let it be tarnished.)

That song wasn't just sung, it was assigned. It became my guardrail. My compass.

Not guilt-inducing, but glory-anchoring. A reminder that I carry something holy and I’m accountable for how I carry it.

These two have been my reminders, my watchmen, my Jonathan-like voices. And if you have people like that, people who speak to your becoming, not just your past, hold them close.

Often, they see what you’re still learning to believe.

SO HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE IN-BETWEEN?

Whether you're waiting for a breakthrough, a new season, or the right moment to step into what you were born to do, here are a few ways to stay grounded:

1. Trust the Hidden Work

Just because you can't see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Some of the deepest growth occurs underground.

2. Let This Season Shape You, Not Define You

This is not the end of your story,

it’s the forging of it. Don’t rush what God is using to prepare you.

3. Surround Yourself with Prophetic Voices

Find people who speak into your identity, not your insecurity. Let their words keep you aligned with who you are.

4. Hold the Vision Loosely, the Purpose Firmly

Plans may shift. Timing may surprise you. But your “why”, the essence of what you’re here for, will hold steady through it all.

5. Practice Active Waiting

Don’t mistake waiting for passivity. Grow. Serve. Train. Study. Heal. Worship. The next door may open at any moment; be ready.

FINAL THOUGHT

“Everything is created twice, first in vision, then in reality.”

Stephen Covey.

So if you’re in the gap between what you’ve seen and what has come, know this:

You may not be “there” yet, but you are not anywhere.

You are becoming.

And sometimes, becoming is the holiest work of all.

For the two who never let me forget who I am, thank you. You know who you are.

You didn’t just believe in me. You reminded me of who I already was.

One of you spoke a name, and when I heard it, something in my inner man awakened.

From that day, something shifted in my walk with God.

The other sang a song, and it became my shield and compass.

Both of you have left a legacy in me that speaks louder than my doubt.

And one day, someone will say of me what I now say of you:

“They saw it before I did, and they never let me forget.”

Written by: Caroline

Founder, Rise & Reclaim,

#PurposeInProcess #WaitingWell #Becoming #FaithAndPurpose #CalledAndBecoming