Throwback Thursday In Surprise

We were staying in Surprise Arizona. The whole journey had been a series of wonderful surprises. It was not that having a baby was a surprise, because God had both promised and prophesied to us. However, the wonderful way He chose to bring it to pass, from the night before the hysterectomy forward, really from Ashley’s first surgery.

I had wanted a child from eight years old at least, specifically a son. Ashley and I had wanted a child, longed for one, almost since day one of our marriage. Now, our Throwback Thursday was the night before the delivery in Surprise. We weren’t sure what the next day, and few days would bring.

I remember the excitement, the anticipation, and the nerves. It was finally time, after two weeks of delays, which may not seem like much, but had seemed a lifetime to us. Tomorrow, if God’s will, I’ll talk about the delivery. Today I’ll talk about the expectation.

We packed two outfits, a boy and a girls, knowing we would love whichever God chose to give us. For we had prayed as we had been taught, for the child or children that we were supposed to have. We felt like it would be a Nicholas, but we would have loved a Sophia just as much. After all, we loved the two little girls we fostered, and gave back to their family when everything was ready.

Lamentations 3:26

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Oh, how we longed to see that face. I want to jump ahead, but instead let me say this. It is good, the Prophet said, for a man to quietly wait on God. We waited, trusting, not knowing what tomorrow held, but trusting.

All of us are waiting right now, trusting, but also preparing. Waiting, being quarantined, isn’t doing nothing, but preparing for tomorrow. We are spending this time, to give us all time for a new day. Our goal, is to be able to step into that new day, strong enough to impact the next day. Life is a journey, and we all must pack our bags for the trip.

We had a lot of stuff prepared for the hospital. We were nervous, we were anxious. Oh, but the anticipation and expectation made all of it worth it. I expect that will be the same for us, if we pack in our waiting period the right way.