Enlarged in Waiting...

I came across this verse in a devotional and it DEFINITELY pulled at my heart strings.

"All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy."~Romans 8:22-25

I know that this verse is referring to overcoming an obstacle and that we should look upward to the Lord and be confident in expectancy...knowing that He will come soon and heal our hearts, pains, and sufferings. And what a glorious day it will be! But for me, I also see the literal translation...waiting for a baby, a pregnancy, a blessing.

The last line in the verse just blows my mind...the longer the wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

I am so hopeful, confident, and in joyful expectancy of what the Lord has planned for us.

Not Yet...

I get several daily devotionals and sometimes I marvel at the perfect timing of some of them. Like the one I received today.

It's titled Not Yet, by Rick Warren.

This devotional revolved around the verse, "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, 'In just a very little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.'" Hebrews 10:36-37

The devotional goes on to share that just because you haven't received the blessing(s) that you have prayed for, doesn't mean God is saying 'no', rather 'not yet.' Just because the answer hasn't come yet doesn't mean God isn't going to answer or that He's forgotten you or that He doesn't care about you. It just means 'not yet.'

But the best part of the devotional explained why this is happening:

"He does it so you can see how patient you are — so you know what's inside you and your level of commitment. God tests you so that you know He is faithful, even if the answers you seek are delayed.

If you're discouraged, turn it around by remembering God teaches you patience during delay. Ask Him to transform your discouragement into patience."

This devotional moved me TREMENDOUSLY this morning and I hope it does the same for all of you waiting for your answer to prayer.

Another Praise...

If you haven't heard yet, one of my dearest bloggy friends, Faith, shared some AWESOME news this weekend. If you havne't visited her blog, you can check out her post HERE.

I honestly think I've looked at her post about a million times. I was so happy when I saw her first picture and then nearly fell on the floor when I scrolled down to see her second picture.

God is faithful!!!

We are still waiting on His answer to our prayers and feel confident that whatever we ask for in prayer, if we believe, it will be giving to us. Mark 11:24.

Qwh...

A sweet sweet friend of mine emailed me an excerpt from the Beth Moore Bible Study she is doing at her church called "Looking Up, Trusting God With Your Every Need." She also shared that she and her Bible study group have been praying for me. I couldn't feel MORE blessed by sweet, thoughtful, and Godly women like her.

In the excerpt she shared, she introduced me to the word qwh. It is a Hebrew word that means "to lie in wait for someone…to expect, await, look for patiently, hope; to be confident, trust; to be enduring."

Their dicussion this day centered around this verse...

"...The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him. The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God's word]..." - Lamentations 3: 24-25

I am in qwh..waiting expectantly for the blessings that I know He will bestow on us.

Mom...

With Mother's Day tomorrow, I've been trying my best to keep my eyes fixed on the prize...a baby resulting from this next IVF procedure.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning to check on our progress and all went well. Praise the LORD for that!

Around noon, I had a knock at the door and the FedEx guy was there to deliver a package. I honestly thought he must have the wrong address because I hadn't ordered anything. But the package clearly had my name on it. So  I opened it and this is what was inside...

Chocolate covered strawberries...YUMMO!

But the card inside the box was a MILLION times better than the strawberries...

I am STILL speechless over the sweet words on this card. These words made me realize the reason I want to have a baby so much...I want David and I to be the parents that my mom and dad were (and still are) to me...ALWAYS loving, supportive, and giving.

I'm so ready to be a mom.

Afternoon Cocktail...

For the past week or so, this has been my afternoon cocktail...

Yep, you've guessed it. We're trying AGAIN! Keep us in your prayers that the Lord blesses us with the greatest gift ever :)

Confidence...

I would say that I am a pretty confident person.

I don't know what has changed, but I can remember as a child that I HATED to order my food in a restaurant. I was pretty shy growing up and dreaded our Sunday ritual of going out to lunch after church because my dad would make me order my own food. I know now that he was trying to teach us something, but then, it was like torture!

I also remember that I never wanted to eat in front of people for some reason (Lord knows I've gotten over that fear because I eat all the time, no matter who is watching)! I didn't want to eat at lunch during high school and I would NEVER eat if I was out on a date. Which only left me ravished when I got home.

I was always a leader in school too...especially when it involved dance, like on the dance teams I was on. I had NO problems directing the dance teams, teaching a routine, or making sure everyone was on task. But, if you put me in front of the class and had me do a presentation, I was terrified!

I'm not sure what happened over the years...but I've definitely overcome all those fears and feel pretty confident in each of those areas. I'm not shy about placing my order at a restaurant (even though I would prefer the hubby doing it for me...just because I think it's polite and what a husband should do). I already mentioned that I have no qualms with eating and I don't care WHO is watching :) And these days, I make presentations in front of  principals and district personnell all the time...and never skip a beat.

But one thing that I'm learning to be confident in, is God. I read this verse today...

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Jeremiah 17:7-8

The truth of the matter is, I have no confidence about this next IVF cycle we plan to go through. What if I don't get the answer that I have been waiting, hoping, and praying for? It literally scares me to the core! I have to repeatedly dig down deep in my soul and remember that even when things are not aligned with my heart's desires and everything is going wrong, I must trust that He has my best interest in mind. I can't take responsibility for holding my world in my hands...my hands aren't big enough for that.

Letting go of the control and realizing that I am inadequate to be responsible for what lies ahead IS confidence. Yet, it's one of the hardest things for me.

I pray that despite what is happening around me, inside of me, and to me, that the Lord is more than enough. I believe in His Word and His promises for me. And more importantly, I have confidence that NOTHING is impossible for Him.