{Linking up with Blessed is She}
I'll be honest: I'm not a particularly patient person by nature. I've seen - and am extremely grateful for - a surge in patience lately when it comes to one sweet thing: my daughter. She's making me more patient, and for that I'm grateful.
When it comes to waiting, though, I'm not good. I'm a complainer, a whiner, and just about anything but joyful. Despite my being not-so-great at waiting, God has blessed me with some pretty incredible things - things I had to wait for.
I waited a lot longer than I thought I would for a proposal. There were a lot of break-ups, plenty of tears and a few broken hearts along the way, but then came the proposal. It was definitely worth the wait (and that day I made him wait as I looked at every. little. thing. under. the. sun. in the Shrine of St. Thérèse before finally making our way to the adoration chapel).
Then there was the wedding. Our engagement only lasted six months, but those six months took FOREVER. I waited years to walk through those doors and see my soon-to-be husband waiting at the end of the aisle for me. But the wedding day came. I walked through the doors, clung to my Daddy's arm as I tried (and failed) to hold back the tears. That was most definitely worth the wait.
I think that face (both of our faces, really) says that it was worth the wait. The struggles. The fights. The tears. The endless details of wedding planning. Worth it.
It didn't happen right away. When we finally did get pregnant I waited days to take the test. I was pretty sure I was pregnant, but each day I waited to take the test felt like an eternity. The three minutes I spent waiting for the test to turn as my husband slept soundly (I wanted to surprise him!) were three of the longest minutes I can remember. But sharing the joy with him when the test gave a positive sign - that was worth the wait.
Actually being pregnant - not my most favorite thing in the world. I got downright cranky at the end. Waiting nine months to see her sweet little face was an entirely new adventure in trying to be patient, trying to believe that being uncomfortable, having random people touch you and growing a human being inside of you would all be worth it. And do you know what? It was and it is.
Labor. Fourteen hours of increasing pain and trying not to break my husband's hand. At the time you wonder if the pain will ever end. All I could think about was the pain - not the cute, squishy little girl that would soon be mine. Just the pain. Would it be worth it? Absolutely. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
I'm not good at waiting and God blesses me anyway. How much more would He bless me if I were more willing to simply wait and rest with Him?