What to Do While Waiting

(This is Day 11 of Our Adoption Adventure.  Click here to start at the beginning.)        

         What did we do while we waited, after the two failed adoptions?

                                  The same things we were doing before.

         We did not sit around and worry (ok, maybe a little bit), agonize and rehash all the bad things that happened (possibly sometimes), or question whether God would ever have us adopt (on occasion).

         We went about our life. We already had two children that I home schooled full time. We were active in our church. We both taught adult Bible study classes. We owned several businesses that kept my husband busy. Our kids were involved in sports and other activities and my husband coached our son’s Little League baseball team. We also trained for triathlons. You read that right.

         We ran, biked and swam every week, getting in shape and training to compete in sprint level triathlons. A friend challenged us to participate in the first one, and we were hooked after that. We encouraged some other friends to train with us and we enjoyed every minute of it.

         It was fun joining a women’s running group and running with them every Saturday. I didn’t realize there was a technique to running. It was exhausting but motivating to run with a group.

         My husband and I were able to trade for two road bikes. This made a huge difference in my bike time. The bike seemed to ride by itself. It was great.

         We joined a master’s swim group. We rolled out of bed early on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays and jumped in the pool to swim laps at 6:00am. We would not have done this alone. We dragged each other to the pool so we could increase our speed and develop better form in our swimming.

         Sometime during these months we were able to let go of the disappointment that the adoption process brought us. We relaxed and let go of the worry and anxiety of it all. We focused on the two kids we had and enjoyed them. We prayed and gave every day over to the Lord, and we were content.

         We could not make the adoption happen. It was up to the Lord. If He brought more children to us, we would be thrilled. But if He didn’t, we enjoyed the life we already had.

         I love the story of Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego in the Old Testament. They were arrested for not bowing down to an idol of the king. They had to either bow down and worship the idol or they would be thrown in a flaming furnace. They said,

“Our God has the power to save us from the flames of the furnace. But even if He doesn’t, we will worship Him alone as our God.” 

What great courage! It inspires us, that no matter what our situation, good or bad, we will worship the Lord as our God. That is the type of faith I want to have.

         How about you? Can you say, no matter what your circumstances, that you will worship the Lord?  Thankfully most of us are not presented with being thrown in a furnace. But we do have the opportunity to choose each day who we will worship.

 ***Come back tomorrow for Day 12.***