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When the Waiting is Oh-So-Hard to Do

I have asked my friend and ministry partner, the fabulous Bible teacher Wendy Pope to guest post today on the topic of her new book Wait and See: Finding Peace in God’s Pauses and Plans. Her keen insight into trusting God in the wait will encourage you so much!  Be sure to read all the way down to the giveaway!

When the Waiting is Oh-So-Hard

Wendy writes:

A teacher. A wife. A mother. My little-girl heart dreamed of being all of these one day.

With chalk in hand and glasses resting on my nose, I practiced being a teacher with my stuffed animals. Carol Brady of The Brady Bunch taught me all I needed to know about being a wife. Caring for my dolls, as well as my years of babysitting, prepared me for motherhood. When I graduated from high school, I was ready to put my plans in motion.

Becoming a teacher requires four years of college. Graduated. Got a job. Dream came true.

Becoming a wife requires a fella. Found and dated him for two years. Got a husband. Dream came true.

Becoming a mother requires … well, you know what it requires. No details are necessary. After two years of trying, no baby. Dream didn’t come true.

My first two dreams came to pass just as I had planned. However, after the two years of failing conceive, I wondered if I would ever sing the childhood rhyme, “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Wendy with a baby carriage.” Dream number three required me to wait and see.

You need to know something about me: I have never been a wait-and-see kind of girl. Deep down, I am a hurry-up, right-now, please-and-thank-you kind of gal. The word patient does not describe me—ask anyone who knows and loves me. So you can imagine how well I handled waiting to see my dream of motherhood come true. Waiting dominated my thoughts as it does for most of us when we’re waiting for the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams.

And you? Do you feel the tug of waiting for something but are scared to let yourself dream it will happen? Maybe you are waiting on a miracle. We have all been there—sometimes more often than we prefer. And the miracle requires something of us—waiting.

The desire to be a mother consumed me and my thoughts. Why can’t I get pregnant? What is wrong with me? What have I done to warrant such punishment from God? It seemed my girlfriends were getting pregnant with ease. That just didn’t seem fair, so I determined that God wasn’t fair.

I began to decline invitations to the multitude of blue-and-pink parties. My husband and I purposely socialized with friends who were not expecting or didn’t have children. However, avoiding pregnant friends did not ease my pain or subdue my longing.

What have I done to warrant such punishment from God?

Trying harder didn’t help either. For two years, I ingested fertility pills, endured monthly injections, scheduled intimacy, and charted my basal body thermometer readings every morning at six o’clock. There wasn’t a specialist or a test that could explain why I was unable to conceive.

Medically, I was doing everything right; spiritually, I was not. The wait exhausted my faith.

I resolved that God was mad at me, so I resolved to be mad at Him in return. Maybe you can relate? You still go to church on Sunday but have nothing to do with God on the other days ending in y. We have our plans and want our way. When things don’t happen accordingly, we retaliate by ignoring God. I felt this way for over two years as the object of my wait became greater than the Person of my faith.

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See God’s Goodness in the Pauses of Life

wait_and_see_cover-1When waiting on God stretches for months or years, we begin to doubt God’s promises. Did I hear You correctly, God? Do You see what I’m going through? Why does this have to be so hard?

In Wait and See, Wendy draws on the life of King David to help us…

  • Focus on the Person of our faith rather than the object of our wait
  • Use biblical truths to defeat depression, doubt, and discouragement
  • Release the hold the past has on us
  • Prepare for the future by participating in God’s work in the present
  • See the benefit of inviting others into the wait
  • View God’s pauses as opportunities to know Him better
  • Gain confidence in God’s plans, even during uncertain times

14657423_888459304619930_820444780764106287_nIf you would like a chance to win a Wait and See gift pack, which includes a copy of the book, a whimsical beaded bookmark with a butterfly charm, and a hand stamped Don’t Rush the Wait aluminum cuff bangle, simply leave a comment on this post telling us an area where you currently find it hard to wait on God.

{Winner will be randomly chosen and announced Monday the 17th.}

wendypope_lowresWendy is the wife of Scott, mother of Blaire and Griffin, author, speaker, and Bible study teacher. She loves lazy Sundays watching golf with her husband, thrift-store shopping with her daughter, and watching building shows with her son.

Wendy is the author of Wait and See. She is a contributing author to the Real-Life Women’s Devotional Bible, Encouragement for Today: Devotions for Daily Living, The Reason We Speak, and God’s Purpose for Every Woman. Wendy writes devotions for Proverbs 31 Ministries’“Encouragement for Today” and is a content provider for the free online devotion app First 5 as well as a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker team.

She leads women all over the world to life change through her in-depth online Bible studies. She has led thousands of women through her Read through the Word study of the One Chronological Bible. Down-to-earth and transparent, Wendy teaches in a way that women feel she is speaking directly to their hearts.

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67 Comments

  1. I have been suffering with vestibular issues for over a year now. At one point I was bedridden for months. I walk around feeling dizzy and odd balance everyday and now I am experiencing migraines. This period of my life, waiting for healing has definitely been the hardest!

  2. At 55 years old I am engaged. I didn’t wait graciously all these years for this blessing to happen. Now I need to wait ad see how two middle aged people can become one in marriage.

  3. I was laid off from my job two years ago and I have still not been able to find a job in my field. I have had to take a much lower paying job in order to have income coming in, so I wait on Gods provision. I am also waiting for my husband who is serving time in prison.

  4. Wait and See! Wow! This book and OBS came to me in God’s perfect timing! I am waiting for several things right now, and the awesome thing here is, I have recently heard God say this exact thing to me! So many things of priority right now, and I feel a little bit overwhelmed with choices that need to be made. If I list them all, I might be here all day, but some of the things I am waiting on in this season are: my husband’s retirement from his place of employment for 29 years, my mom’s future, will she be able to remain independent, 3 out of 5 grown children who do not know the Lord and desperately need Him, and my current health situation. God has assured me that He has it all under control, and all I need to do is wait and trust Him!

  5. I would love to read the book.
    My struggle to be patient is pretty much in the same area as you described in your post. I’ve been consciously waiting for the right time, as in ordained by God, for about 7 years now. I always thought that I was not really in a rush to have kids, but when I feel ready, it will coincide with God’s timing too. The first couple of years of the ‘waiting period” were not as big of a deal, but the last few are turning harder and harder, and I do not know when (and if at all) the time will ever come.
    Especially this year I found myself particularly sensitive about the desire of having kids. And, yes, the same as in your case, it becomes harder when everyone around you starts having kids, or goes to have #2, #3, etc. What caught even me by surprise a couple of months ago is that our church was looking for volunteers to help with the baby/child care ministry. but I couldn’t bring myself to do it because I was afraid that it may spark an even stronger ”baby fever” in me. This is surely not where I ever thought I would be in my life.. I felt guilty but at the same time thought that I needed to limit a bit exposure to kids while I am still in such uncertain period or maybe until the day this level of vulnerability passes and I would be able to help out more sincerely.

  6. I appreciated this devotional. I have such a hard time when waiting, and wondering why, why, why. What did I do that was wrong? Why is God punishing me? It is so hard to trust and be obedient to God’s timing.

  7. Currently waiting for this chapter of my of my life to end as I leave an abusive marriage. Waiting for the next step that God has got me…

  8. I have walked through the Word with Wendy 2 different yearsand did her Study on the Psalms. I grew spiritually and loved her heart for God. So I know I could benefit from her book. Right today my biggest challenge is waiting on God’s guidance and wisdom dealing with aging parents and their health.

  9. trying to lessen the financial debt and it takes so much longer than I’d like to wait. Seems like I am always waiting, but not so patiently.

  10. I am praying and waiting for God to open a door for my husband to find a new job. He’s been laid off 6 months and it’s taking a toll on us and our children.

  11. I am waiting for my adult children to come to faith in Jesus – it looks impossible, but I know that God is able.

  12. I feel like God has asked me to write. The problem is, it is a slow start. I keep hoping things will happen so I can really claim this blessing, but know deep down my heart isn’t ready yet.

  13. Would love to read this book….1 1/2 years ago my husband…the love of my life….up and left without a word….no warning signs…. Shocked and broken,I lost my faith……how could this possibly be HIS plan????
    In time….he started showing me the why….
    I’m waiting…trying to be patient…waiting….

  14. The waiting game is one I’ve been playing for some time. I have a wonderful husband, Some great grandchild and a lovely home. My two sons are located four hours away and I see them as much as I can. I desire to have a vacation home in their locality in order to spend more time with them, yet give them the privacy they deserve. I have been searching for the “right” cottage to buy, but my husband is not supportive of this venture. The Lord has planted the desire, but I am hard-pressed to get my husband on board. I am in a waiting mode until I can have his cooperation. It’s not a matter of money as I have an inheritance that would cover the expense. Pray I would be sensitive to his need as well as be ready to surrender this desire to the Lord if He desires me to keep my husband “happy.”

  15. Just purchased a new house, and I’m waiting to find one, true, new friend in the area….sometimes it is just SO lonely….

  16. Waiting for my daughter to want a relationship again. She has cut us out of her life for no apparent reason. Waiting for marriage to be a marriage, not just two people living together. Waiting for children to pursue God and follow Jesus.

  17. The life of a butterfly so aptly describes waiting! I love your cover! My current wait is waiting on some health issues, and waiting for clarity with our church -do we stay, do we leave. There are lots of uncertainties and fuzziness

  18. It is very challenging when you hear God clearly and you are ready to charge, then nothing happens. I start to question if I really heard him right.

  19. Waiting on dreams to become a reality. I wonder why God puts dreams in our hearts when even though it’s not the right time for us to nurture them. I wonder why He doesn’t give them to us when the time is right for us to pursue them. Just some thoughts…

  20. I am waiting for my daughter to turn her heart and mind back to God. It is very hard and there are times when I feel like giving up on her; but I know God has her in His hands.

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