Waiting when it hurts

I've been taking a hiatus from writing as of late. There is so much content available for the browser courtesy of Google & the inter-webs that I sometimes forget that what I do end up writing may only be meant for one person who's in a tough space and may be in search of something that inspires them towards hope.

So, for anyone who is reading this, please forgive me. Forgive me for being selfish. Forgive me for forgetting what it means to love through this digital medium by sharing story, asking questions and hopefully illustrating something that inspires you.

I am in a season of waiting.

In 2009, my wife and I had the honour of adopting our oldest son, Cannon. It was a process that we were told may not even happen...and yet it did. It was a process that seem overwhelming at times...and yet we were determined. It is something that has changed my life for the better, and I will always be grateful for that.

Fast forward 6 years and we find ourselves in a similar space yet again. Today we wait. We wait for a phone call that will once again change our lives for the better. But friends, I must say, there is pain in the waiting. Questions of what if, what's next, when will it happen and more can become all consuming when perspective is lost in the moment. It hurts to wait. Are we not good enough? Have we missed our opportunity? Did we forget something along the way?

I am learning that the wait and the pain are actually a gift. Perverse as it might seem, I realize that I and my pain produced by waiting are becoming friends, not because we have chosen one another, but because we are in the last 2 people on the planet type of scenario. It's me and my pain, alone. Sometimes in the dark, but always searching for the light. It's a space that is difficult to explain, but familiar to those who have experienced the emptiness of a season of waiting.

So, if that's where you are I want to inspire you. You are not alone. There are others who have found a way through the pain that waiting can bring. It's true, not all seasons of waiting are the same, and neither is the pain that they bring. Waiting for a loved one to pass is much different than waiting for a long lost friend to finally come home for a visit. Find the courage and strength to identify with what may be similar while never forget what is truly different.

Wait, friends. Wait, even when it hurts. At some point in the not so distant future the season will come to a close and with it will be a new set of opportunities, hopes and dreams...and the perspective on the season of waiting you just went through.