In the midst of waiting...

Probably the hardest thing to do in the whole adoption process is to wait. I absolutely hate waiting, and I feel that's all I do these days. Forget all the paperwork, required classes, and personal questions. All of that seems like a piece of cake compared to waiting for my children. I actually didn't mind all of those things, because at least then my time was occupied accomplishing things and I had some "say" in making things happen and move along the process.

Whether your wait is 2 weeks or 2 years, waiting is hard and uncomfortable. But I've realized that waiting has a God-designed purpose. God does not always work immediately. Actually, I would say that He hardly ever does. God wants to use this time to grow our faith in Him, to stretch us beyond our comfort zone into a new level of trusting and believing in Him. The waiting time is a growing time to be used to actively pursue the heart of God and His plan and purpose for me and my family. Michael & I have felt every emotion possible on this journey, and the intensity of those emotions have only deepened as we've waited (and continue to wait).

I have to admit that I am tired of waiting. But again, I know that God's timing is perfect. So, I want to be sure that I am not wasting my time complaining about what I do not yet have, but instead make it my goal to ask God, "Lord, what would you have me do during this wait time to draw closer to you, to Michael, and to the people you have placed in my life?"

So, in my waiting.....

• I've been trying to work on things that I've put off, like my Mary Engelbreit cross-stitching project that I worked on for 4 months and couldn't finish in time for Christmas last year. It's just been staring at me and so I finally picked it back up again this weekend.


• I have been reading more books, mostly adoption related, but also trying to add some "fun" reading into my book list.


• I have been catching up with old friends and making new friends, through phone calls and old-fashioned letter writing. Oh, how I love to get a letter or card in the mail :)


• I have been working on my crafting skills...and that's all stemmed from me trying to be super creative with our Lifebook (which I'm still working on). In the process of doing this, I have realized that I have sold myself short on my creativity and that I really should do more of it.


• I have been resting more, relaxing more and not feeling pressured to always be doing something. This is a huge thing for me. I'm typically always on the go!


• I have been studying God's Word and meditating on Who He is and Who I am because of Him.


• I have been learning new ways to show my husband how much I love him and appreciate him, as we travel this journey together.


• I am learning to value the time that I do have to do all of these things...as I'm pretty sure that I won't have the time in the near future to do many of these!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11