I meet my husband. We fall in love. We are engaged. We wait to marry. Twelve months later we say, “I do.”
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We’re newlyweds. My husband is sick. I take him to the hospital. He goes into surgery. I pray. I wait.
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My husband and I were married a mere seven months when we started trying to expand our family. We knew it would be difficult for me to conceive, so we figured we’d start trying early and see what God does.
Fast forward three years. We’ve still been trying and waiting for God to move.
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My husband has a steady job, we’ve been waiting with no progress for the possibility to conceive. Michael and I decide to get licensed as adoptive parents with our county. We sign up for classes. Just a couple of weeks later my husband loses his job due to budget cuts and we call the county and tell them we can’t move forward with adoption at this time.
We’re waiting to find a new job for my husband.
We’re waiting to see if God allows us to conceive.
We’re waiting to see when we can move forward again with adoption.
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We get a phone call. There’s two girls who might need a home. We say yes! We wait. We nest. We anticipate. It falls through and we are waiting for God to guide us what to do next.
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We sign up to be adoptive parents. We take the classes. We do our home study. We get licensed. We wait. 8 months go by and no phone call. No placement.
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We move. We wait to see if God wants us to try to adopt again. We feel a strong sense of yes! We take our training and wait to move.
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My heart is content when I am at home, keeping house, available to serve others, ability to help my husband.
However, I am working outside of the home. Drained by my work. Unable to do what I want in our home.
I wait for the opportunity to come home.
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We search for a house that has enough space for our hopefully growing family. We come up empty. We wait.
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We finally move! We work on finishing our paperwork, we wait for everything to fall into place.
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We’ve moved and my husband’s job situation needs a change. We wait for a new job before we move forward into our adoption.
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I’ve been waiting for things to happen for most of my adult life thus far. Some of the waiting has been short. Other bouts of waiting have been long and tiring.
I have been lost in waiting, losing hope. It is a difficult place to be.
However, I feel that God gives us seasons of waiting for a purpose. Nothing is without reason.
How do we live fully even when we are waiting? How do we keep our focus on Him when there are distractions all around us? How do we fully embrace these seasons even when they’re difficult?
Question for you:
What is the longest you’ve waited for something?
This post is part of my 31 Days of Waiting series. Read all the posts in the series here.
My heart resonates with this so much. I totally understand how you’re feeling. We’ve been waiting over a year to find a home that we can live in; a community to serve in~ a church to belong to. It’s actually been 2 years since we were last part of a church and it hurts. Right now, my husband and 2 of my kids are living in one city(working and school) while I and the 2 youngest live 5 hours away in the country WAITING for our house to sell. The waiting is killing me. I hope, I pray, I trust. But it’s so hard. I have found the only source of comfort is to worship in the waiting. It is amazing what worship can do.
Oh no! That it so difficult. I’m sorry for the pain that you are feeling by this season of waiting and transitioning Juanita.
I love how you end your comment, though,
“I hope, I pray, I trust. But it’s so hard. I have found the only source of comfort is to worship in the waiting. It is amazing what worship can do.”
God is using this waiting to shape you and mold you to be more like Him. It doesn’t make it easier, but there is a reason!
*I’m adding your family to my prayer list!!!
Waiting…almost 7 years of infertility…waiting to begin our family. God bless you.
Oh Stephanie,
I know the hurt and pain that comes from infertility and waiting for children (we’ve been waiting now for almost six years counting our infertility and adoption waiting)…My heart breaks for you!
We waited for over two years for my husband to find a full-time pastor job. BUT because I so enjoyed where we were it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t have to wait for kids (but my heart breaks for you who have). I often feel God is waiting on me to get it right and abide in him. Because, so often, I don’t. I’m excited to see what you write this month! Thanks.
My husband is in seminary, so I think I will be very aware of that kind of waiting here in several years! But, just like you, I am enjoying this season of school and waiting.
Yes, abide in Him! That is so important! Thanks so much for stopping by Abbie!
I have begun to wonder whether “Wait” is the most common answer to prayer…or just for some of us, for purposes to grow us and other wonderful parts of His plan. Our wait for adoption was just under 3 years, but the answer to the prayer for more live-in-our-house family has been no (at least for the last 19 years), so that has felt at times like an eternal “wait”. It is so important to abide in Him and develop other abundant-life passions to live out while we wait for the answers to the questions and desires we still have. I know the blessings and His promises are so worth every minute of the wait, though, no matter the outcome!
Thanks for the post, which will help others currently experiencing the wait…to know they are not alone! It’s hard to express to those who have not experienced it that infertility is a mostly invisible grief, which can feel isolating. Bless you for sharing with others who may need it.
Yes, yes, yes to this:
“It is so important to abide in Him and develop other abundant-life passions to live out while we wait for the answers to the questions and desires we still have. I know the blessings and His promises are so worth every minute of the wait, though, no matter the outcome!”
I met and accepted the Lord shortly after my third daughter was born. She is now 24 years old. Still waiting for my husband to meet Christ. As well as 4 of my 5 children.
After my husband was let go from a company he worked for for 24 years, we waited 14 months for a new job.
We have been waiting for over three years for a buyer for our house. Kids are grown and I thought God was leading us to down-size. Instead He brought us a renter and we needed to get rid of a lot of stuff so they could move in for a year, or two (they haven’t decided how long they want to stay).
A lot of waiting…but I’m seeing that the only thing I can rely on is God. My relationship is the strongest it has ever been. I live one day at a time and seek Him each day. I don’t think He wants me to feel too settled here (on earth). This really is a temporary dwelling.
It is hard… but if I am honest, I wouldn’t trade the reward of waiting… for anything.
Thank you for this post…it is comforting to know I am not in the waiting room alone. That, in and of it’s self is uplifting, and encourages me to keep on keeping on! We are not alone, we are on this journey ‘together’ through this waiting time. And He is with us every step of the way!
Bless you!
Karen you know about the waiting! You know why we must wait too! We are learning to rely on God. We are realizing more that we are just sojourners here on this globe. Lastly, there is a reward in waiting!
Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing a piece of your heart today!
“I have been lost in waiting, losing hope. It is a difficult place to be.”
Yes it is, Ashley. I love your words here and mostly your heart to share your difficult place with others.
I have been pruned, and I am still waiting for the fruit that I truly believe will come in His due time.
Waiting has certainly focused my heart on Him. But it has been a time of admitting the deep hurt, too. He is so patient with me.
Right now, I have been waiting in one area for 9 years. In another, about 5 years. But He is so patient and wants me to learn everything there is for me to learn.
Thanks for stopping by Stacey! Waiting is a great time of pruning! Thanks for sharing your perspective!
I’m so glad I found this series. Waiting has been the theme of my life for what seems like forever. My husband lost his job 2 weeks before we were married and then 2 years later opened his own business. We have been waiting over 5 years for him to make an income from the business. Praise God he is now making over 50% of our monthly income. We waited nearly 7 years before God blessed us with a child. We are now waiting for God to allow me to come home full time, and to be able to have more than exactly the amount of money our bills are each month so we can save to buy a house and have some actual savings.
This culture really does make it so difficult to wait and realize that we are not always entitled to instant gratification. I have learned a lot, but it is always a challenge to wait on God. I am thankful for what he’s brought us through though, and despite the pain it has been and still is, I see the beauty He has created through it all.
I see the aches and pains of this waiting in your words. But, I praise God that I see that He has brought you through stronger than before!
Praying for you today!
This is a topic I don’t think I’ve ever discussed. The waiting. I’m interested in reading more these 31 days. God Bless you and your family. All of you above.
Thanks for stopping by Hannah! I am excited about exploring this topic!
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