The Waiting Game

It has been a crazy few weeks.

We were waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and then BAM!...an explosion of activity. I literally feel like the last few weeks of my life have been a complete blur and things are slowly coming back into focus.

In just a matter of weeks the husband got a new job, we both resigned from our positions at the same company, spent a weekend house hunting, packed up all our belongings (which are currently in storage about 100 miles away), placed an offer on a home, moved two hours to a placed called State College, and are currently living in temporary housing. Like I said, life has been a blur.

I remember when we first got married, I thought we'd quickly find a home to settle in and start our lives together. But that did not happen as we soon realized that we did not want to "settle" in that area. Having traveled to many beautiful small towns in that surrounded us, we just knew that we wanted something different for ourselves. So then I figured the husband would look for work elsewhere, we'd move to an area we both loved and then would could settle there...BUT that did not happen right away either.

Insert about 2.5 years of praying that the Lord would change our situation and lead us to a home and community that we could really be a part of, and also having over 2.5 years of what seemed like no answer.

It got to the point where we figured we would not be leaving the area any time soon, and so we proceeded to live our lives as normal. I accepted a different position at work thinking I'd be there for quite some time. We starting attending a new church where we thought we could be more involved and grow spiritually. New friendships were formed and plans made to continue life in Pittston. As soon as I started to settle into this routine of life, everything changed in what felt like an instant! Almost three years of prayer - answered and brought to fruition in just a few weeks. I continue to be amazed at how God works!!

The beautiful creek off the back deck of our temporary dwellings. 

I am also learning that He always answers prayer. That answer could be yes, it might be no, or it could be "wait!" But rest assured that there is always an answer. I was reading an article on Desiring God, which you can check out here, that explains how God is working in our waiting. He is working in us to make us more like His Son, that we would trust Him more and rely on Him and not on our own abilities to make what we want to happen...happen.

Like the article states, waiting on the Lord requires humility and trust in God, which does not come so naturally to us. When I get impatient it's because I believe that whatever I am desiring is what is best for me and the sooner I get, it the better...but God, my Creator, knows what's best.

We all know the saying, "God's timing is perfect!"
But do we live our lives in light of that truth? Do we patiently wait on the Lord with hearts of contentment and gratitude when it seems like nothing is happening? Do we accept the fact that...

"...the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." - Psalm 84:11

I don't know about you but I am very guilty of losing sight of this. Those 2.5 years were speckled with moments of unrest, dissatisfaction, and impatience. It's so crucial to remember that if the Lord wants us to have something, we will have it. So the absence of something desired must mean that it is not "good" for us at this current moment or that the Lord wants us to wait and use that waiting for growth. It sure would save us from a whole lotta stress and frustration to remember God's word and apply it to our daily lives!

What a comfort it is to know that no prayer goes unanswered. And even when it seems like nothing is happening....the Lord is working things out in His perfect time and way. All we need to do is trust that He is the "the lamp unto [our] feet, and a light onto [our] path," (Psalm 119:105) and walk in the way He has set before us, even if it means staying put longer than expected.

Looking back I am thankful for the extended time we've spent in Pittston - there were so many benefits to that living situation that set us up really well for this new chapter of life. I could not see it then but boy am I more aware of it now! So blessed to be able to see God's faithfulness through it all and now looking forward to this new adventure and seeing how God continues to work in our lives, for His glory!

xo,

Janine