‘Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.’
‘Isaiah 40:31
A couple of years ago my friend Joy gave me a beautiful perpetual desk calendar for Christmas. It’s been on my desk at work ever since and over and over I’m reminded of God’s perfect timing as to what verse or saying is assigned to a particular date. Once again today as I turned it to read the verse above, I am reminded that I am to wait. And trust. God is my strength in everything.
This verse means so much to me. It always has, but it’s taking on an all new meaning these days.
In years past as I reminded God (I know I didn’t need to but I still did anyway!) of my single status as I watched friends marry and then become parents, that verse was my encouragement. There were tough days for sure and I cried myself to sleep more times than I can count after the emotional joy and excitement of sharing a friend’s wedding day only to drive home alone…but not alone at the same time. God was in control of my life and He had a plan. A perfect plan. And He was always there right beside me, holding me close.
Today it reminds me that God is still leading each and every step of my life. He still has a plan. A perfect plan and I wait upon Him to bring it to be. In His time. His perfect time. And He is still here right beside me, holding me close.
People sometimes comment about the positive attitude I have about the wait. I give all the glory to God for that attitude. He is leading me each and every step of the way through this adoption journey and I don’t for one minute want to run ahead of Him. I want to wait upon Him. Trust Him. Lean on Him and fall more in love with Him. The wait for Hannah is long and yet God shows me over and over…and over again that this is His plan. His timeframe. And He is always here right beside me, holding me close. On the nights when tears soak my pillow as I wait for Hannah (and a husband should that be God’s will) I am reminded…
‘Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.’
‘Isaiah 40:31
And I give it all to Him once again.
Thank you Lord for the way this walk of faith is deepening the relationship I have with you. I love you.
Phenomenal post Catherine! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that verse too. :) What a blessing it was to pop your blog up and see this great reminder of God's goodness, grace, and mercy...and HIS perfect timing!
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful post. You have such a wonderful grace about you. I am truly honored to call you my friend.
Stacy
What a beautiful post Catherine! I LOVE the poem. It is so true.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Carrie Yang
Catherine, I'm praying for you, for Hannah and yes....if it is His will, a wonderful husband for you!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sooo thankful to have you as a part of this journey and a friend in my life!!
Blessings,
Love Dawn
Hi Catherine...I sure can relate to your thoughts in your post..thanks for being honest and vulnerable! I am praying too for you:) I was in Teddy's yesterday with my parents and saw this family come in with a little girl from China...mom and grandma and daughter...she was adorable and we overheard her ask her mom why they make soup hot!!:) My mom asked if she was adopted from China and yes! So, I thought of you and seeing you there with Hannah!!:) God Bless!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder, Catherine!
ReplyDeleteI admire you so much Catherine. You are so passionate in your faith.
ReplyDeleteI too am truly honoured to have you as a friend!
Catherine, I agree this was beautiful post and thanking for sharing your heart. It is difficult to patient(I struggle with this a lot) but I too believe God has His perfect plan in His perfect timing.
ReplyDeleteHannah is going to have the most wonderful mommy!!!!
What a beautiful post. I admire your strong faith and relationship with God. I too believe it's all in His time. Sometimes I just wish I could get a glimps at His watch to see WHEN the time is.
ReplyDeleteHannah will be just perfect when God brings you to her. I can't wait to see her beautiful face. How blessed she will be to have such a God filled mother such as yourself.
You are so eloquent and a special soul. You are a blessing to many and I am happy to be included. Faith will carry us all, my sweet friend.
ReplyDeleteKeep smilin!
Dear Catherine,
ReplyDeleteAlthough we have not met in person YET, I know you are an AMAZING woman and as far as this post you've just written, all I can say is WOW!!!!!
God indeed is sooooooooo incredibly faithful and He DOES make all things beautiful and perfect "IN HIS TIME."
As you know from following our journey, we also understand a thing or 2 about "WAITING." It has "only" taken us 19 years of being married and longing for children, but guess what? after a roller-coaster of an adoption process, this coming Saturday we are finally leaving for Colombia and on Monday (2/26), we will be holding our 3 daughters in our arms for the very first time!
So hang in there Kiddo, the Lord will bring precious little baby Hannah to your loving arms at the right time and trust me, all this "WAITING" will be distant memory, a thing of the past!!! :>)
God bless,
Sharon
What a great post...waiting isn't ever easy, and trying to figure out God's plan can be worse! I pray for your strength as you wait for many things!
ReplyDelete(Oh...and we haven't forgotten...we purchased things at a scrapbook store for a page for Hannah! We're just so slow! Sorry!)
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ReplyDeleteCatherine...what a testimony you have given. God's glory shines through your post and I can't wait to see His blessings pour out in your life in the future. Waiting on Him is the best place to be, but not always the easiest. Thanks for the example!
ReplyDeleteGod is good all the time!!
Lisa
I understand your feelings, because I am also waiting for the Lord's direction regarding a spouse.
ReplyDeleteThe wait can be hard and lonely, but I *try* very hard to remember that I was left on the shelf for a reason...I haven't been abandoned.
A good friend once told me that marriage is wonderful, if you get a good match. She knows of what she speaks...she's one of the many who married the wrong person.
It may be that the Lord is protecting all the Christian singles like us, from all the "Mr. Wrongs" in the world. If our Mr. Right should come along, the relationship will be God blessed.
Anyway, thanks for the post...it helps to know that there are other people who feel the same way.
God's Blessings to you.
Beautifully said Cathrine. You are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED that post too, Catherine! Your faith is strong (through grace) and He will keep you as you wait. His timing is, indeed, perfect and sometimes it's nice to have reminders like yours of that! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJanet