Last weekend, I gathered with friends to celebrate. We rejoiced with a beautiful young woman, her husband, and family. The couple waited for years for God to bless them with a child. Those years were filled with many ups and downs, with heartache, but also, with hope.
Recently, they received word that a precious baby boy had been born and would be theirs through adoption. Several weeks later, the young woman learned she is pregnant. Early next year, they will celebrate the birth of a second baby boy. After long years of waiting, God poured out a double blessing on this family.
Waiting
Waiting is possibly one of life’s greatest challenges. In a world of instant everything and perpetual motion, waiting feels counterculture, because it is. Waiting is the opposite of “making” things happen. Waiting believes you don’t have to do everything in your own strength. Waiting trusts God’s timing, plans, and purposes. Yet, waiting is hard.
Seven years is a long time to wait for a child. That is the length of time the couple we celebrated waited to become parents. They watched as friends and siblings, gave birth to babies and grew their families. They sat on the sidelines, viewing these life events vicariously.
I can attest to the difficulties of waiting. We were weeks away from our sixth anniversary when our daughter was born. We experienced overwhelming joy at this God-given gift, but I never totally forgot all that those years of waiting entailed.
Perhaps you are in a season of waiting. You know God is good, but wish he would hurry and answer your prayers. Don’t give up. Your blessing is just ahead.
Grieving
Often, grief is inherent in waiting. You rejoice with others, but sadness and grief lie just beneath the surface. Life happens, but you aren’t fully present. Grief is grief, and whether it involves waiting or absence, grief clings, even in moments of joy.
In the last (almost) three years, I’ve learned grief doesn’t end, but rather, becomes secondary, manageable. Joys come. Forward motion continues as life goes on.
Hoping
When waiting and stewing in a season of uncertainty, hope is the secret sauce that makes the unknown bearable. Hope grabs hold of the future with both hands and believes for a positive outcome. Hope doesn’t give up, even when everything seems impossible. Hope trusts and believes in God’s goodness, no matter the outcome.
Trusting
Learning to trust someone takes time, especially if that person proved untrustworthy in the past. Trust involves a combination of hope and realistic expectation. Trust wants to believe, yet is cautious. Trust is easier when the person has a history of trustworthiness.
I have history with God, and likely, you do, too. I know I can trust him because his faithfulness has proved sure and steady through every life season. I don’t have to wonder if he is there or if he cares, because I am certain he does.
Maybe you are in a situation that feels impossible. You’re longing for a single blessing, let alone a double blessing. Don’t despair. God sees and knows, and he will provide a way forward, a rescue.
Believing
For some, believing hinges on seeing. Doubting Thomas wouldn’t believe Christ lived after death, and was there in the flesh, unless he saw the nail scars in Jesus’ hands. Jesus didn’t fault Thomas for that. Some people are skeptics and want evidence. But Jesus said, “Blessed are all those who never see Me and yet they still believe” (John 20:29 VOICE).
Faith lies in the spiritual realm, and therefore, is sometimes hard to fathom. People scoff and say faith is a myth, but those who have experienced God’s goodness, believe even though they can’t see what is ahead.
So much of life is like a puzzle. A friend recently said her husband bought a puzzle at a yard sale that had no box. Even without the picture, he worked the puzzle in one day.
God knows the puzzle pieces of our lives, and he doesn’t need a picture to move the pieces into place.
Whether it takes a day or seven years, you can believe and trust that God is at work, moving your life pieces into place, adjusting them, and creating a beautiful picture for his glory and your good.
”I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be strong. Yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27: 13-14 NLV).
“Oh, how great is your goodness to those who publicly declare that you will rescue them. For you have stored up great blessings for those who trust and reverence you” (Psalm 31:19 LB).
©CandyArrington
Candy Arrington is an award-winning writer, blogger, and speaker. She often writes on tough topics with a focus on moving through, and beyond, difficult life circumstances. Candy has written hundreds of articles, stories, and devotions published by numerous outlets including: Inspiration.org, Arisedaily.com, CBN.com, Healthgrades.com, Care.com, Focus on the Family, NextAvenue.org, CountryLiving.com, and Writer’s Digest. Candy’s books include Life on Pause: Learning to Wait Well (Bold Vision Books), When Your Aging Parent Needs Care (Harvest House), and AFTERSHOCK: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide (B&H Publishing Group).
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