Just Call Me Mrs. Longgame
- Shakila B.
- May 2
- 6 min read
–For Whoever is Learning to Trust the Process
Sparkle Bestie, I recently nicknamed myself Mrs. Longgame.
Because anybody truly walking with God knows this is not a quick little sprint.
And this is not always the road where everything makes sense while you are walking it.
Sometimes following Christ feels like being asked to trust a process that is slower than your desires, deeper than your comfort, and quieter than your flesh would prefer.
And if I am being honest, that can be frustrating.
Because the world seems to move fast.
Fast success.
Fast money.
Fast answers.
Fast platforms.
Fast glow-ups.
Fast proof that everything is working.
And then here comes God, working on the inside first.
Working on your patience.
Working on your character.
Working on your motives.
Working on your obedience.
Working on your ability to trust Him when the evidence is still loading.
And suddenly you realize, oh.
This is a long game.
And apparently, I am Mrs. Longgame.
The kind of process where you are not just asking God to bless what you build, but asking Him to build you in a way that can actually carry what you prayed for.
The process that does not always give instant results, but keeps producing internal evidence.
That part.
Because sometimes we want the blessing, the breakthrough, the abundance, the overflow, the open door, the opportunity, and the flow.
But God is still working on the foundation.
And foundation work is not always glamorous.
It is not always visible.
It does not always give people something to clap for.
Sometimes foundation work looks like choosing not to respond from a wound.
Pausing before you spiral.
Telling yourself the truth when fear starts talking too loud.
Doing your best for the day and trusting God with the gap.
Because that is something I am learning:
God is the gap filler.
Not me.
I do not have to be the fixer, the fortune teller, the strategist, the protector, the provider, the healer, and the miracle worker all at the same time.
That was never my job.
My job is to show up with what I have.
My job is to do the best I can with what is in front of me.
My job is to stay faithful.
My job is to listen.
My job is to keep walking.
God handles what I cannot handle.
God sees the parts I cannot explain.
God already knows what I am worried about before I can even find the words.
And Sparkle Bestie, that is where the pause becomes powerful.
Because life will try you.
The present will sometimes imitate the past.
A tone will feel familiar.
A delay will feel personal.
A closed door will feel like rejection.
A slow season will feel like punishment.
A hard day will try to convince you that nothing is changing.
But the pause.... it gives you a choice.
The pause says, “Wait. I do not have to answer this from the wounded place.”
I can answer from wisdom.
I can answer from growth.
I can answer from faith.
I can answer from the woman who has survived some things, learned some things, and knows that God did not bring her this far just to leave her standing in confusion.
That is the blessing of maturity.
Not that everything becomes easy.
Not that you never feel hurt, triggered, tired, doubtful, frustrated, or misunderstood again.
But you start realizing you have options now.
You do not have to compete.
You do not have to compare.
You do not have to rush.
You do not have to self-abandon just because the timeline is uncomfortable.
You do not have to let the world’s pace convince you that God is late.
Because He is not.
And I know... sometimes it feels like everybody else is operating from the outside and somehow it seems to be working for them.
The image.
The numbers.
The money.
The status.
The movement.
The appearance of ease.
And meanwhile, God has you somewhere learning humility, discipline, discernment, patience, healing, restraint, compassion, and spiritual endurance.
And it can make you question your wiring.
It can make you wonder, “Why am I like this?”
“Why does God keep dealing with my heart before He deals with my circumstances?”
But maybe that is not a flaw.
Maybe that is the formation.
God is not just preparing the blessing for you. He is preparing you for the blessing.
Because what good is the room if your nervous system cannot rest in it?
What good is the platform if your identity cannot survive it?
What good is abundance if you have to abandon yourself to obtain it?
What good is overflow if you are too exhausted, anxious, or disconnected to enjoy it?
Why the Long Game Is Not a Setback
Sometimes the long game is God building something in you that will not collapse under pressure.
And I know we love to talk about arrival.
The breakthrough.
The open door.
The answered prayer.
The “look what God did” moment.
And yes, we believe in all of that.
But there is something special about the becoming too.
There is something so beautiful about the person you become while you are still waiting, still healing, still building, still believing, still choosing to get up and keep going.
That is where so much of the real work happens. Brick by brick.
Not in the applause.
Not in the announcement.
Not in the polished final picture.
But in the quiet decisions nobody sees.
The decision to pause and pray.
The decision to forgive.
The decision to try again.
The decision to keep your heart soft in a world that keeps giving you reasons to harden it.
That is long-game faith. And long-game faith is not weak.
It is not sitting around doing nothing.
Long-game faith is active trust.
It says, “I am going to do my part, and I am going to let God be God.”
It says, “I may not understand the whole road, but I know Who is walking with me.”
It says, “I do not have to fill every gap because God already stands in the places I cannot reach.”
And maybe that is the message for today, Sparkle Bestie.
Maybe you are becoming someone who can actually carry what you have been praying for.
So take the pressure off your shoulders.
You do not have to punish yourself for still being in process.
Do your best.
Pause when you need to.
Tell yourself the truth.
Give yourself grace.
Let God fill the gaps.
Because if you are following Christ for real for real, then you already know:
This...this right here... is a long game.
And baby, Mrs. Longgame...she is not losing.
She is being prepared.
She is being refined.
She is being strengthened.
She is learning how to walk without rushing.
She is learning how to trust without seeing everything.
She is learning how to become without abandoning herself.
And she is learning that the same God who started the work is faithful enough to finish it.
Scripture to Stand On
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”Philippians 1:6
Let’s Pray About It
Dear Heavenly Father,
Today we stand before You in faith, knowing that everything You have spoken over our lives will come to pass.
No fear, no delay, no doubt, no weapon, and no devil in hell can stop what You have already set in motion.
Because of You, all things are possible.
So today, we rise above fear.
We rise above comparison.
We rise above self-doubt.
We rise above every voice that told us we were too late, too slow, too much, or not enough.
We do not have to prove what You have already confirmed.
Give us the strength to keep walking this long game with grace, confidence, wisdom, and boldness.
Fill every gap.
Order every step.
Strengthen every weak place.
And remind us that what You started, You are faithful to finish.
We stomp out fear today and keep it moving by faith.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Closing Reflection
Sparkle Bestie,
If this season feels slow, I pray you do not mistake slow for stagnant.
I pray you do not confuse preparation with punishment.
I pray you remember that God does some of His deepest work beneath the surface before anything blooms where people can see it.
And I pray you keep walking.
Not frantically.
Not fearfully.
Not from comparison.
But with grace.
With faith.
With your head lifted.
Because you are in formation.
And God is still filling the gaps.
Sending you nothing but love, sparkle, and sunshine,
Your Sparkle Bestie,
Shakila B. 💖
If this is meeting you where you are, you may also want to read When Peace Becomes the Priority. That reflection walks beside this one because sometimes playing the long game with God starts with protecting the peace He is using to rebuild you.
*Some images in this post were created with the assistance of AI as a visual extension of the written message.
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