Painting The Waiting Room: Outlines of Hope

As I step into this task of covering this waiting time in the positive hues of Biblical truth, I will begin by dipping my brush in hope. 

We wait for it patiently.

I will be the first to tell you that I am not talented in the areas of drawing, sketching, painting, etc. I wouldn't know a straight line if it hit me over the head! I cannot create the beautiful images I see in my heart with a pen or brush, but I can color! That Kindergarten skill stuck! I just need an outline and I'm Picasso! I find that is equally true in my spiritual life some days.

I need an outline. this verse does just that. God has outlined this season of waiting in HOPE. Hope for a day that I have not seen. Hope for a child I have not held. Hope for a little girl I know almost nothing about. 

Hope has always been a concept that I have clung to during many seasons of my life. It is the reason I love butterflies. What better symbol could there be to represent hope? Even if you feel small, wormy, and ineffective today, tomorrow could hold untold beauty. I love the Chinese proverb, "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly." Not to rewrite these amazing words, but my heart interprets this a little differently... Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she began to soar. That's how it feels. This hope allows me to soar supported by the winds of God's promise. The hope in which we were saved. 

How does God promise to fill this outline? Patience. Hope is a concept I have clothed myself in. It's familiar and comfortable. Patience could not be more foreign! I desire patience, I long for the ability to wait without feeling like I want to climb the walls. God's word, however, always fills in the empty lines of my understanding. When I focus on the hope of one day seeing my daughter, of holding her, and hearing her sweet voice. The hope of our future family. When I focus on the hope, patience settles quietly on me like that butterfly. The quiet confidence that "God's got this". Faith in His ability to manage the circumstances that send me spinning out of control. The beauty of this picture of hope astounds me. 

Just as I learned in Kindergarten that monochromatic pictures are boring, God fills this outline with patience and so much more. Grace, peace, brokenness (yes this can be a positive), faith, love... I could go on, but I will save that for future posts.

We have been given a tangible lesson in these concepts this week. We have received confirmation that the paperwork issue delaying our approval by CARA has been resolved. We also received official notice of our I-800A approval! The US government agrees that we will be good parents for a child with special needs. Our dossier will be sent off to be authenticated tomorrow. We will be able to send our dossier to be forwarded on to India once that authentication has been received. 

We are getting closer to the day we actually step out of this waiting room, but until then, here I will remain paintbrush in hand.