Waiting

We are writing to you from a hospital room in northern Colorado with the newest addition to our family, a brand new baby boy.  We delivered him this morning.  It was quite a journey of waiting and standing to bring him into the world.  It makes us think about where some of us may be in our marriages.

We strive to be an all-natural family.  We try to eat healthy, live healthy, and attempt to have our children naturally.  But, we fail in things sometimes.  We eat Pizza Hut now and then and we probably don't exercise enough.  And our birth stories don't always turn out the way we would hope.  However, we do put lots of effort into what we believe though.

We had hoped to have an unassisted home birth.  We know...we are kind of crazy!!  But, after 10 hours of labor at home we ended up with a C-section due to extremely high blood pressure.  Now, this is not about the merits and dangers associated with home births and C-sections.  This is about standing for what you believe in spite of what the "experts" may say.

You see, we knew that having a home birth was a long shot but one we were willing to take.  It is something that we believed.  So, we worked at it for 10 hours...laboring, breathing, resting, and relaxing.  Doing all the things that you are supposed to do to make it happen.  We pushed against the doctors for what we believed and what we wanted.  And despite what the doctors say, the labor we worked through showed up in the health of our son.  And even though the road to meeting our new son was not what we had hoped, we believe that the road was determined by God Himself and that the ending still glorifies Him.

Now to our marriages....maybe the road that you are walking is not the one that you had hoped for or imagined.  Maybe what the "experts" are telling you and what you believe that God has said don't line up.  Maybe there is more labor that you need to do before the fulfillment comes.  Whatever the case...what are you waiting for?

Are you waiting for the restoration of your marriage or are you waiting to be right?  Are you waiting to see your spouse be touched by the spirit of God or are you waiting just for them to come home?  Are you waiting for the completion of the total work or are you willing to settle for a temporary fix?

We dare you to push for what you believe!!  We dare you to contend for the best even if it means more pain!!  We dare you to trust God with the outcome of your marriage and the road that it takes to get there!!  It may not be (probably won't be) the path you would have chosen.  But, if the way that He chooses for you gets you to the desired end, does it matter the path?  Does the pain matter if you win bigger than you had hoped?  With your eyes firmly set on the Master, the pain you endure and the time you wait doesn't matter.

Bring on the pain if it means God wins and, in turn, you win!

Romans 8:18

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared

 to the glory he will reveal to us later.

What are you waiting for?

Josh and Serena