Scrolling, Striving, and the Slow Work of God

My phone vibrated with another notification.

Since posting that last reel, two people have liked me talking to a screen. Maybe it was my outfit, maybe it was my content, or maybe it was my name that made them double tap.

The more I scroll through social media, the more I feel something inside me reaching for the next hit of validation. The scrolling turns into searching. The searching turns into striving. And underneath it all, there is that whisper:

Do more. Be more. Have more.

My very ordinary life doesn’t feel very “more” at the moment. Contentment is hard to locate. The daily responsibilities of motherhood, work, relationships, and home demand energy that already feels stretched thin. Dreams that once felt close now seem distant. The waiting for what is next starts to wear away at peace.

Waiting seasons have a way of testing us.

When Waiting Feels Like Silence

We pray for direction.
We ask for clarity.
We hope for a yes or a no.

But sometimes, what we receive instead is silence or slowness. Not a closed door, but not a clearly open one either. It can feel like being suspended in place.

This kind of waiting reveals what our hearts run to for comfort. The scrolling. The screens. The voices of others. The desire to feel seen.

But what if the waiting itself is part of the shaping?

The Gentle Reminder of Micah 6:8

A few days ago, I came across a verse in Micah that stopped me in my tracks:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (NIV)

Micah spoke to a people who were trying to earn God’s approval through outward performance, ritual, and religious activity. The message they received was direct: God is not after perfection, productivity, or public spiritual display. He is after a heart that walks with Him.

God is asking for presence.

Not performance. Not production. Not platform.

Presence.

Maybe the next right step is not about figuring everything out. Maybe it is about walking closely with the One who already knows.

The Beauty of the Small and Ordinary

Maybe obedience right now looks less like striving and more like resting.
Less like planning the future and more like being faithful in the present.

It looks like:
• loving the people in front of you
• serving quietly where no one sees
• choosing peace instead of urgency
• trusting deeply instead of anxiously performing

God has not forgotten you.

The slow seasons are not wasted seasons.

He is working in the in-between and shaping what we cannot yet see. Even when it feels like nothing is moving, He is teaching us how to move at His pace. The slow, steady pace of grace.

One humble step at a time.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for hearing me even when I cannot yet see Your answers. Help me trust You in the waiting. Teach me to walk humbly, to love mercy, and to do what is right in the small, ordinary steps of today. Amen.

Meet the Author
Reanna Hoffman

Reanna is a writer, speaker, coach, and host of the Not Just Waiting Podcast, where she equips women to wait well and actively pursue Jesus in every season. A former teacher who followed God’s call into new adventures, Reanna is passionate about reminding others they are seen, valued, and deeply loved by God. Whether she’s writing, coaching, or baking something sweet, she believes the Lord is the best adventure guide—and she’s just getting started.

Connect with her on Instagram here.