Hangin’ Tough in the Hallway

“Until God opens the next door, praise Him in the hallway.”

This phrase has become quite popular over the last few years. You’ll find it on plaques, pillows, bumper stickers, and maybe even a blanket or throw. We Christians love to slap a good saying on everything, don’t we?

I have been thinking about this pearl of wisdom lately in relation to my writing. If waiting means being in the hallway, I have been living there longer than a misbehaving elementary school child being punished. I am currently in that “in-between” phase, waiting for the next project to come to fruition. Like that unruly child, I tend to get restless in the hallway. I want things to happen NOW! Even the microwave moves too slowly for me sometimes.

I have realized there are different types of hallways. Some are long and dark, like a with little visible light. I think of hospital hallways that are long but bright, with an abundance of florescent light. Other hallways are rather short, not more than a hop, skip, and a jump from one end to the other.

My office at work is located in a unique hallway. It is carpeted and forms an endless square, winding around and around. I, along with some of my co-workers, use this space as an indoor walking track, getting in our steps when the weather is extreme. A visitor to our campus stopped me in this hallway a few months ago and asked, “How do I get out of this place? I’ve been circling for an hour!” Join the club, buddy, figuratively and literally.

There have been times in my life I have been in that long, dark hallway. I waited a loooonnnnng time to be a published writer—I epitomized the term “ALMOST AN AUTHOR” for what seemed like ages. Other times, I have been in that short hallway, with only a minimal wait between projects and publications.

Now, I seem to be in that circle/square that winds around and around. Anyone else experience that? You put yourself and your work out there, and you wait and wait and wait and wait and . . .

It’s not an easy place to be, but there is one thing to do—like me and my colleagues, keep walking. When I am having a bad day at work, I take a little walk around that hallway and clear my head. When I have worked hard, writing or whatever, and need a break, I walk. When I get discouraged about the next step, I walk and, as the old song says, “have a little talk with Jesus.”

If you are currently in the hallway, anticipating the next project that seems like it is never going to come, stay close to Him. Pray and vent, but don’t forget to praise. We are all waiting on something—wanna hang out with me in the hallway? It’s not so bad . . . for now.

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.