Many lessons in patience...

Well, my ability to walk in patience with the adoption process ebbs and flows... I'm not doing well today on that. I'm so ready to take another step, move forward in some way, mail something, fingerprint something, just DO something. I can't decide if I should be calling someone to see if things could be sped up- or just sit and wait for a phone call, email, or letter to make my next move.

It's such a fine balance between attempting to push things through and speed up the process, and waiting and letting it go at its own pace. I love how God uses our natural circumstances to keep us where he wants us. If God wanted me to drive all over the state to take documents to different places, he probably would have freed up my schedule and provided someone to run my house/family for me... hmm... ;) So, I wait. Not patiently, but at least I'm waiting.

It reminds me of a devotion I taught in college once... I did a word study on the word wait, as in "wait on the Lord..." The different definitions really caused me to pause. One was to do with someone actively waiting on tables at a restaurant... I was challenged to take that into consideration as a possible definition on how to respond to the Lord. I can sit, and stagnate, tapping my foot... OR- I can be actively waiting, serving those around me, and consider myself useful.

Now, I know there are definite advantages to both types of waiting- especially since there is a SURE call for peace and tranquility as we rest in His presence... but I am going to go with the proactive, filling the needs of others type of waiting right now. I need to take care of my family, get the laundry done, clean up those goldfish crackers that have been under the kitchen table for 3 days, and 'wait' on the Lord. Might as well make myself useful and make myself into a blessing for others, instead of just waiting for MY blessing to come.