Waiting

YOU keep us waiting.
You, the God of all time,
Want us to wait
For the right time in which to discover
Who we are, where we are to go,
Who will be with us, and what we must do.
So thank you … for the waiting time.
John Bell, quoted in The Westminster Collection of Christian Prayers

All day I have been meditating on God's call to wait. Over and over in His Word He asks me to trust Him, listen quietly and wait for His timing. Over and over I push and fret and try to write this story on my own.

The Old Testament is such a beautiful example of the preparation of what God was doing in the coming of Christ and in example after example He asks His people to wait in their personal lives for things they were hoping for and ultimately for their Savior. God promised David would be Israel's king when he was annointed by Samuel, and it was many years and a great amount of trial before this happened. David is one of my "faith" heros. He made a mess of things sometimes. He wanted to be in control--so much so he even took someone's wife and had her husband killed. He was REALLY honest with God when he prayed, and He talked a lot about waiting. One of His favorite cries to His God was, "HOW LONG????" Tonight I went back to some Advent readings and to the same highlighted verses in my Bible I have read hundreds of times and recited in the dark, many of them Psalms of David. What God is showing me by reading these passages again is He is not asking me to do nothing. He is asking me to be prepared and expect He will work His purpose perfectly. The quietness of heart can come in the midst of franticly running lists and doing laundry. Being still will not be literal most of the time, but it can be my heart's attitude as I continue my research about Danica's brain and spine, make countless phone calls, write emails and try to find the surgeon's hands who will best help her.

I had a peaceful day at home with Danica today. Delaney is away in West Virginia visting my sister and her family. Everything felt slower and more intentional. I watched Danica closely as she played. I listened to her pretend stories with the Littlest Pet Shops and as she played shopping and games and read her books. We cleaned out most of the 3T things from her drawer, and I realized what a gift her rapid growth this past year has been. She is so tall for her age. I know this is just one example of God working His timing perfectly. We got her doctor kit ready to take to the hospital tomorrow along with a new box of Hello Kitty bandaids. We talked frankly about getting an ouchy, picking a prize for being brave, seeing Dr. Cohen's fishtank and the cool ball machine at Rainbow. She completely understands and accepts what will happen tomorrow.

We will leave our house at 5:00 am. We must check in at 6:30 at the sedation unit. Her MRI will be at 8. After recovery we will have her flexion extension x-rays, then see Dr. Cohen to discuss the scans and then see the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Thompson. I just found out that Dan, who is working until 11 pm tonight, is planning to be back at work by 5pm tomorrow night. Please pray for physical strength and stamina for him and safety driving. Please pray that we will be kind to one another and support one another during this stressful day. Anyone who has gone through these kinds of hospital days with their children, especially when it's over and over again, knows the fear and fatigue. Most of all thank you for praying for our little girl. We are so hopeful tomorrow will give us the direction we need to know if we should move forward with surgery in Cincinnati or not.

Someone sent me an email recently that said, "God is NEVER late." I want this tattooed on my heart! This waiting is another gift of grace. We are growing and changing through this journey. All Danica's days are already written. Our hope remains!