August has finally arrived...The month I've been waiting for since last December when we found out we were pregnant! It seemed like it would never get here, and now that it has, we continue to wait. We wait for the moment when we get to welcome our sweet baby girl into the world and meet her face to face. We wait for the journey of parenthood to begin with all of it's adventures, both exhilarating and terrifying.
Isn't waiting a funny thing? We spend a lot of our lives "waiting" on things to happen. Waiting on stoplights to turn, elevators to come, seasons to change, test results to be reported. Waiting on Mr./Mrs. "right," getting pregnant, finding the perfect job, reaching retirement.
So what do we do when we find ourselves in a season of waiting? We waited for almost a year before we became pregnant. It was a long year of waiting, praying, and hoping. But it was during that season of waiting that we embraced our time together as a couple more than ever, never knowing when life would suddenly change and we would become a family of three. We did not sit around, simply waiting to discover the news we were hoping for; instead, we traveled the world together: places like Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Togo Africa, and Charleston, just to name a few. As much as we longed for the chance to start our family, we cherished spontaneous weekend getaways, exotic vacations, and quiet evenings at home on the couch.
Some of you who know our story of waiting know that we had also been praying about going to Africa for many years. We finally had this incredible opportunity in the fall of last year, a trip we had been waiting on for a long time. As it turned out, we discovered that we were pregnant only weeks after we returned home from Africa. After almost 5 years of waiting for this trip and a year of waiting for a baby, everything suddenly fell into place. Looking back, it was during those seasons of waiting that we grew the most, in our relationships and in our faith. It wasn't the immediately answered prayers or the instant gratification of everyday accomplishments that made us the strongest; rather, it was the eager anticipation of what was to come.
As Christians, we wait on the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Scripture says, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. - Mark 13:32
Much like waiting on our baby to arrive, we do not know the day or the hour; only the Father knows! But it doesn't end there...Scripture goes on to say "Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone, Watch!" - Mark 13: 35-37
It seems pretty clear that we are not supposed to sit around, just "waiting" our lives away, even for the most important event in all of history! If the God of the Universe calls us to be awake, on alert, and ready for the ultimate return of the King, shouldn't we also be joyful in our day to day times of waiting?
Waiting is not easy. Over the last week, I've had several people ask me if I am tired of waiting for our baby to arrive. People at work tease me each day, saying, "You're still here?!" although our "due date" is still a week away. "Are you ready?" they ask. "Miserable yet?" others inquire. Don't get me wrong; I am beyond excited to meet our baby. But I am reminded that my past seasons of waiting made the long-awaited events that much more joyful when they finally happened! While I am "waiting" for this particular event, I am trying to enjoy each day - nights of full sleep, quiet mornings, spontaneous dinners with friends, and the most incredible feeling of this tiny human moving inside.
I once read that we should live life as if in a rocking chair: always leaning forward to anticipate what's ahead, and at the same time relaxing backwards as we wait for God's perfect timing, trusting that He will move us forward again.
... so what are you waiting for?
-L
Isn't waiting a funny thing? We spend a lot of our lives "waiting" on things to happen. Waiting on stoplights to turn, elevators to come, seasons to change, test results to be reported. Waiting on Mr./Mrs. "right," getting pregnant, finding the perfect job, reaching retirement.
So what do we do when we find ourselves in a season of waiting? We waited for almost a year before we became pregnant. It was a long year of waiting, praying, and hoping. But it was during that season of waiting that we embraced our time together as a couple more than ever, never knowing when life would suddenly change and we would become a family of three. We did not sit around, simply waiting to discover the news we were hoping for; instead, we traveled the world together: places like Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Togo Africa, and Charleston, just to name a few. As much as we longed for the chance to start our family, we cherished spontaneous weekend getaways, exotic vacations, and quiet evenings at home on the couch.
Some of you who know our story of waiting know that we had also been praying about going to Africa for many years. We finally had this incredible opportunity in the fall of last year, a trip we had been waiting on for a long time. As it turned out, we discovered that we were pregnant only weeks after we returned home from Africa. After almost 5 years of waiting for this trip and a year of waiting for a baby, everything suddenly fell into place. Looking back, it was during those seasons of waiting that we grew the most, in our relationships and in our faith. It wasn't the immediately answered prayers or the instant gratification of everyday accomplishments that made us the strongest; rather, it was the eager anticipation of what was to come.
As Christians, we wait on the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Scripture says, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. - Mark 13:32
Much like waiting on our baby to arrive, we do not know the day or the hour; only the Father knows! But it doesn't end there...Scripture goes on to say "Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back - whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone, Watch!" - Mark 13: 35-37
It seems pretty clear that we are not supposed to sit around, just "waiting" our lives away, even for the most important event in all of history! If the God of the Universe calls us to be awake, on alert, and ready for the ultimate return of the King, shouldn't we also be joyful in our day to day times of waiting?
Waiting is not easy. Over the last week, I've had several people ask me if I am tired of waiting for our baby to arrive. People at work tease me each day, saying, "You're still here?!" although our "due date" is still a week away. "Are you ready?" they ask. "Miserable yet?" others inquire. Don't get me wrong; I am beyond excited to meet our baby. But I am reminded that my past seasons of waiting made the long-awaited events that much more joyful when they finally happened! While I am "waiting" for this particular event, I am trying to enjoy each day - nights of full sleep, quiet mornings, spontaneous dinners with friends, and the most incredible feeling of this tiny human moving inside.
I once read that we should live life as if in a rocking chair: always leaning forward to anticipate what's ahead, and at the same time relaxing backwards as we wait for God's perfect timing, trusting that He will move us forward again.
... so what are you waiting for?
-L
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