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You are here: Home / Sacred Connections / Waiting for the Right time

Waiting for the Right time

December 9, 2014 by Stephanie Leave a Comment

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I love the connection between those whose lives are revealed in scripture and those of us walking the Earth  today. Although I’ve read the ancient stories many times, the narratives of certain characters pop out at me during certain times in my life.

  Their humanity-the raw, imperfect, struggle for control, connects with me. 

As does their desire to believe in the promises of a God who chooses to be in relationship with them.  A God who has repeatedly demonstrated unwavering loyalty, ultimate wisdom, unconquerable power. 
 
And yet, like them, I find myself on the precipice of choosing to trust in my God or myself.

  Lately, I’ve found Abraham and Sarah as my walking partners in this season of life.  No, I am not pregnant, nor have I heard the voice of God telling me I should be. (I cannot even imagine that news at 90!) However, like Sarah, I have goals that I desire to be fulfilled. In the near future.  These goals are not what I would consider selfish goals. They are based on desires that I believe God has placed on my heart. Things like more speaking engagements, more time to blog, publish a book.  But, like Sarah, my vision for when those “dreams” become reality do not always line up with God’s timing.

Waiting is not my strongest trait.  I can be a little bit like Veruca Salt in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, when she sings in her whiny voice…”I want it now!”

 

Sarah had a bit of Veruca in her as well.  Who can really blame her? She has been told that her desires for a child will be fulfilled. Finally. After 60+ years of waiting. Can you imagine the joy she felt?  For a woman in that time, being barren meant social stigma, financial uncertainty, and a dream left unfulfilled.  At 90 years old, God tells her it’s gonna happen!  But then it didn’t. And it didn’t. And….it didn’t.  So….maybe…. she and Abraham needed to help God fulfill the plan?  After all, God couldn’t really make a 90 year old woman fertile. Right?  Hmmm… 
 
In their “I want it now” moment, Sarah and Abraham complicated what God had intended. Hagar, Sarah’s slave, is drawn into the plan. The result was, indeed, a baby.  A beautiful creation of God. But, he was not God’s intention. Not the right time. Although, God blessed Hagar and her son Ishmael, Sarah and Abraham’s relationship suffered complications as a result of their forced plan. Eventually, at the right time, God fulfilled the promise of a child through Isaac.  At the right time.

And there’s the rub.  From a human perspective, “at the right time”is a challenging phrase.  Especially, if you feel God has put
a burden on your heart.
A passion in your daily rhythm.
A vision for your future. 
Like, Sarah, you want that dream, that promise, to be birthed now. Your heart beats at the thought of that new job, new home, different season in life, a child.  Like Sarah, I’ve learned from my mistakes. I’ve also come to realize why certain events in my life didn’t happen when I thought they should.  And, despite my frustration, even grief, over the lack of fruition of my wishes, I am thankful.  Thankful for a God who tells me, 

8“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

9For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
(Isaiah 55:8-9) NLT


And so I wait. Hope. Anticipate.

Knowing that the answer may be different than expected.  
But, it will still be good.

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When my first child was born 20 plus years ago, I envisioned taking just a few years off from my role as Pastor of Youth and Family. While that didn’t exactly unfold as expected, God used my gifts and skills in other ways. Read More…

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s2thomp

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Sometimes, I go to Target and virtually keep them company as they shop for items. Once in a while, I accompany them on a drive through line to their favorite fast food restaurant. Other times, I walk with them back from class to the dorm. There is no agenda outside of simply connecting and listening. And then there are moments where I am put on speaker mode and I sit in silence while homework is worked on. The reason? To simply sit in their presence.

These moments could easily be perceived as inconvenient and mundane. Truthfully, the calls sometimes interrupt my agenda. However, it is a blessing when your big kid initiates connection. It is something I never want to take for granted.

I wish we could have done more traveling together on vacations when my kids were young. Yet, traveling together and building bonding moments can look like a lot of things. I am learning to be thankful for all of them.

#herviewfromhome #Redbudwriters #parentingyoungadults
#Delicatedanceofparenting #parentingyoungadults #p #Delicatedanceofparenting #parentingyoungadults #parentingcollegekids #parentingteens
As I sit in the quiet with the windows open, the s As I sit in the quiet with the windows open, the sounds outside remind me of the changes in my sphere. My neighbor plays her recorder with abandon on this first day of the school year. Suddenly, my mind jumps back to several years ago in this same house. I listened to each of my kids happily discover the joy of exploring this instrument. They fidgeted around, like she does, trying to create familiar tunes and listening to the way their breath helpes create sound.

This is the second time the landscape changed next door since our family planted roots here twenty four years ago. Each time, the new life sprouts up in different ways. Currently, the sights and sounds of young children remind me of where I once was and where I am now.

The seasons of parenting all have their variety of days. There were moments that felt long and dark. Sometimes the idea of getting up the next morning to experience another one felt overwhelming. But scattered throughout the years, were moments of joyful collaborative discoveries of the beauty of this life. Watching your child explore the world around them through their senses is magical. It refreshes any of our own that have grown stagnant.

I love living in an intergenerational neighborhood. Because I need it. Revisiting the seasons of life through new narratives brings me joy. I share in the excitement of the neighbor girl losing her tooth and laugh at her story about the tooth fairy forgetting her tooth. That happened in our house too.

My children are now young adults. People say “the days are long and the years are short.” That feels true. But I am thankful to have the opportunity to relive some of those days with a new generation. It reminds me of the welcoming spaces created for life to bloom, theirs and mine.

#neighborhood #parentingyoungadults #herviewfromhome #Redbudwriters #stephaniejthompson
#humanity #compassion #imagodei #stephaniejthompso #humanity #compassion #imagodei #stephaniejthompson
Recently, I retraced the steps of my childhood. Ho Recently, I retraced the steps of my childhood. However, walking the territory with my young adult children by my side became a whole new experience. Something profound happens when your kids see, taste, and feel the places that shape your life.

This wasn’t the first time, we ventured into the town of my paternal roots When my children were young, we occassionally drove through the town. We drove past relative’s homes and I pointed out favorite destination spots. However, the questions grew deeper and the curiosity expanded as they grew older. Connections to itheir story have been formed.

We enjoyed stomping around the nostalgic grounds together while recognizing how our family’s story fits into a bigger one. I whirled around with my kids on the same carnival ride seats that I once shared with my parents and siblings. We munched on the same tasty comfort food that I delighted in as a child. And watched, with wonder, the twinkly lights of a magical place, lighting up a dusky hot summer night. We walked in the footsteps of those in their personal narrative.

The deeper thoughts and questions came as we winded through the small town, retracing the paths of my youth. However, this time around, their ears longed to know more. How is this person related? Who was the relative that was known for…..? The visual unfolding of a story gives you a context for understanding what has shaped you. It is both formative and yet allows for questions and discerning what you will do with it. What will you embrace and how will you respond to it’s influences?

These are the moments that I do not want to take for granted. Navigating our story together is a gift.

#familystories #parentingyoungadults
#whoami #ancestorsspeak
#familyroots #stephaniejthompson
#Redbudwriters
"Sometimes Jesus’s interruptions mean a reorient "Sometimes Jesus’s interruptions mean a reorienting with our whole being. Surrendering vocational plans and expectations. Using our finances,time and talents in ways that take us out of our comfort zones. Letting go of previously held assumptions about who Jesus is."

#Redbudwriters #Jesusinterrupts #Luke5 #followingjesus #discipleship
Load More Follow on Instagram

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  • Advent/Christmas
  • Easter
  • five minute friday
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
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