5 Ways to Wait on God Well

Ways to Wait on God Well

Times of waiting are inevitable, but they don't have to be miserable.

By Joel Delgado

June 30, 2014

Joel Delgado is a writer, sports fan and coffee enthusiast living in Miami, FL. He is a staff writer at Florida International University and blogs about faith, life and more at JoelDelgado.com. You can follow him on Twitter @JoelMDelgado.

Whether it’s waiting for the results of that make-or-break exam you took last week or waiting in line for a white chocolate mocha at Starbucks, we can all agree that waiting stinks.

We always seem to be waiting. It's a part of life. When the wait for one thing ends, we seem to quickly move on to something else to wait for. A job offer. A romantic relationship. A big break. 

In a society where we are quickly getting used to getting what we want, when we want it (usually, that's right now!), waiting can be as frustrating as watching a soccer game that ultimately ends in a scoreless draw.  

But there is value in waiting, because it builds patience. And patience—the capacity and willingness to endure all things—helps turn a passive twiddling of our thumbs into a meaningful, purposeful waiting period. Patience isn't about what you are waiting for, but how you are waiting for it. It’s about waiting well.

Patience isn't about what you are waiting for, but how you are waiting for it. It’s about waiting well.

When King David wrote Psalm 27:14, I feel like he was writing specifically to those of us stuck in the waiting room of life, waiting for a yes. Or a no. Or just any answer at all. He writes: "Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord."

Read more at 5 Ways to Wait Well

Our trip to FL and Puzzle Update

We had a great trip to FL last week to meet our potential birthmom. We had a wonderful time getting to know her a little and we even got to see her stomach move as baby kicked. She gave us permission to share an ultrasound photo too.  She is really active and spends her days off swimming at the beach. Most of the time she is working her butt-off though. She was so sweet and reminded me of my younger cousin in both looks and personality.

Things are getting real! And thanks each of generous donors our puzzle is 80% complete!

Can you help us complete our puzzle by October? The goal is in sight! And there has never been a better time to give. If you give this week, you'll get a chance to win a bundle of beauty products. 

Donate Here

 

A big thank you to Jonathan for his graphic design skills which made this puzzle happen!

Puzzle Fundraiser: Updates & Giveaway!

UPDATE: Our puzzle is now 57% complete!

Donate Here

Jaime Manion at MaryKay has generously donated a gift basket valued at $100. Anyone who donates this week will be entered in a drawing to win this awesome prize. It could make a great gift for someone in your life. Winner will be notified via email and/or facebook.

 

Thank you to all who have taken the time to give. 

We are so honored that you've chosen to give so generously to help bring our child home.

Bringing Home Baby Girl Wier: Puzzle Fundraiser Day 2

We've been SO touched by the many many people who have reached out and donated, sent encouraging words, and offered prayers. Thank you all! You will each be receiving a handwritten thank you (we're just a little behind with those:-)). Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our dream for a family possible. 

Our puzzle is 48.5% complete. Can you help us get to 50% by Monday?

Donate Here

Bringing Home Baby Girl Wier: Puzzle Fundraiser

We need to take a picture of the puzzle progress thus far, but Lauren doesn't have all day to put it together. Currently waiting on our 5 year old prodigy neighbor to come over and put into together quickly so you can all see the progress:-). Here are a few of the pieces with names written on them.

Thanks to all who have donated! Our puzzle is 43% complete! We need to get to 50% by Monday. Can you help us?

Donate Here

It's official...we've been CHOSEN!!!

Baby girl Wier is on her way!

Laura Ivanova Photography

We are thrilled to announce that we've been chosen to parent a baby girl due at the end of October. We cannot believe it happened this fast. 

We have no doubt that your prayers have played a huge role in this miracle so please keep them coming!

Puzzle Fundraiser Update: Help us bring home baby Wier

A HUGE thank you to all who have donated so far. We are grateful beyond words for the gift of your kindness and generosity. We've been truly humbled by the amount of support we've received in the past few days. 

My mom has been working her butt off trying to spread the word. She's offered to teach free tennis lessons for those who donate. This woman already works 60+ hours a week- talk about generosity.

There have been people at my mom's work making minimum wage who have donated $25 to be a piece of the puzzle- truly, truly humbling. 

OUR PUZZLE IS 26.6% COMPLETE. We still need you. 

Puzzle Fundraiser: Help us bring home baby Wier!

We are approved to adopt AND we need your help! We won't be able to bring home our little one without a little help from a lot of people(if you like us even just a little bit please consider helping;-)). We need you to be a piece of our puzzle. 

It's not easy asking for help but we all need help sometimes. Right now, we feel God calling us to make ourselves vulnerable in this way- to invite others into this important process.

A big thank you to Jonathan for his graphic design skills which made this puzzle happen!

The waiting

We are at the very beginning of our official adoption wait. The papers are in. The family profiles printed and mailed. Now we wait for a potential birthmom to choose us to parent her baby. It is a strange state of limbo to be in. We've felt ready for this next stage of our lives for years now. The average couple makes the decision to be parents and before they know it they're at their first doctor's appointment hearing baby's heart beat.

Any expectant mom will tell you, you start bonding with your baby as soon as you see that positive test. Your hopes, dreams and plans for your future are already being made. The tricky thing is, we already feel attached to this baby. We are already love this baby. We just don't know where they are or when we'll meet them. We are making plans for this next stage of our life but we have virtually no control over when this stage will begin.



What our photo session meant to me

It was my intention to keep this blog about adoption, but it's pretty much impossible for me to speak about our life in any authentic way without mentioning infertility. Infertility touches everything.

"...for those who deeply want children and are denied them, those missing babies hover like silent ephemeral shadows over their lives. Who can describe the feel of a tiny hand that is never held?"

-Laura Bush

Updates

- We had our first meeting with the social worker at her office today. I think it went well. She will visit our house in a couple weeks and then we will be done with the home study! We will just need to wait for her to complete the report and then we can send our applications to the agencies on our list. Once we send in our applications it is possible for us to be chosen at anytime!

Quick takes

- Today we handed in the giant packet of completed paperwork! Now we wait for our background checks to come back, which can take up to a month. Then we will be able to start the interview process. We will meet once with a social worker at her office and then once at our home. 

Our neighborhood family

When the winter hibernation is over we spend most evenings outside with our amazing neighbors. Little Cece can't wait to meet the baby!

Totally dependent on another's love

I am in awe of the way God has brought us to our knees throughout this journey.

Our becoming parents is only going to be possible through the self-sacrificing love of a birthmother. What a tremendously humbling thought! The trajectory of our lives depends on a hurting woman choosing to live the rest of her life with a hole in her heart because she values the life of her child more than her own comfort and desires. Our child's birthmother will embody the love of Christ in the most literal way- giving her own flesh and blood for another's good. I cannot help but to get weepy when I think about it.

We're paper pregnant! Almost...

It's been a long 3 years. We've faced surgery after surgery, countless doctor's visits, crazy inducing medications and more than our fair share of grief and disappointment. Through it all, we have been so blessed to have our families and friends by our sides. Truly, no act of kindness has gone unnoticed. Whether it was a meal you made us, a card, a phone call, a lunch-date- your love and thoughtfulness has sustained us through the darkest of times.

No matter how dark the road got, God never left us. He has been by our sides through every tear, negative test, and failed treatment.

Many of you already know that Lauren has felt God tugging at her heart to pursue adoption literally throughout our entire journey. Even when top specialists were telling us we would conceive and there was nothing wrong- I felt an indescribable pull.