It goes without saying that there is a lot of waiting that accompanies the adoption journey. Waiting for paperwork to be completed, waiting for appointments to be scheduled, waiting for referral batches to come out each month, and the never ending wait for our referral. Waiting inevitably requires patience, although it's not always done gracefully.
Awhile ago I had a man from church ask me why Rick and I continue to ask the prayer team to pray for patience for our adoption journey. After all, don't we realize what happens when we pray for patience? God gives us plenty of situations to practice! But in all actuality, we must learn patience for many other situations in life ... patience for babies to come into this world (adopted or biological), patience for raising our children in a world with twisted values, patience for vacations and job changes and results from doctor visits. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.
This past week we had an assignment to do for our ABF class (Sunday School class), which happened to be entitled "Waiting on God." Here is a quote from that chapter:
"What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for ... Waiting is not just something we have to do while we get what we want. It is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.
It is particularly difficult for us to step out in faith and wait on God. Yet waiting is part of what God wants us to do.
In the story of Jesus and his disciples in the boat (Matthew 14:22-33), some of Jesus' actions were decisive and immediate. For example, he immediately answered the disciples' fearful cries and immediately saved Peter from drowning. At other times, Jesus waited. He waited until "the fourth watch of the night" - after 3:00 in the morning - before coming to the disciples on the stormy sea. Meanwhile, the disciples had been in the boat since before sundown. We can almost hear their thoughts as they fought to stay afloat: Where is Jesus? Has he abandoned us? Doesn't he care about us out here?
Peter also waited for Jesus' permission to step out of the boat.
It's no different with us. If we want to do what God has called us to do, we usually want to do it as quickly and successfully as possible. In contrast, God often wants us to wait on him. By waiting, we learn to depend on him and learn valuable lessons about faith, prayer, obedience, and trust that can change our lives forever." (By John Ortberg from If You Want to Walk on Water You've Got to Get Out of the Boat)
I'm discovering the blessings of waiting and learning patience along the way. Our waiting for Malia is not in vain. We are learning the absolute perfect timing of God. We are learning that God's blessings are richer and sweeter the longer we wait. We are learning that we will miss the gift if we move too soon. I'm so thankful we do not have the power to move this adoption process along in our own timing. If we could, I would have jumped on a plain to China long ago and brought home a little girl. But she wouldn't be our Malia. We're still waiting for her. And God is still - ever so graciously - helping us learn this gift called patience.
2 comments:
You have nailed it perfectly, Jennifer! This is what we learned through our first adoption. We also read that book (after getting Braylen, of course!). I am so glad you are studying this. There is so much to learn and grow through life with this and when you adopt, I think you get an extra dose of the whole patience lesson!
This whole concept is exactly what Brad and I desire to tell others in the waiting time, but it is not simply something that can be told, it has to be experienced and learned.
You are ABSOLUTELY correct when you say that Malia will only come in God's perfect timing. I totally understand about getting on a plane and just going to get one, but that wouldn't be the perfect package God has for you.
I've said it over and over to you and Tonya, but when you finally hold your precious Malia, time will slip away and you will know that you know that you know SHE is the perfect gift and was very much worth all the wait and worry because what God can give us is so much better than what we could ever give ourselves.
I love you guys and am so blessed to have your family in our lives! I love that God had given us others who know exactly what it is we have gone through in the adoption journey. God is amazing and the gifts He gives are incredible, if only we notice them and don't pass them up or give up before the come our way.
Hang in there, pray, learn, grow!
Well stated.
We all love and support you.
Post a Comment