Beauty in Waiting.

So many women are waiting and longing for a desire of their heart to be fulfilled.

For many women, that longing is to be a mother.

I have a sweet friend who has been such an inspiration to me in her season of waiting.

She has shown strength, dignity, patience, trust in the Lord and a peace in knowing it was only a matter of time before God answered her prayers. I saw so much beauty in her time of waiting.

The day did come when she came to find me with her exciting news.

Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes a heart sick

but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

I've been learning God WANTS to answer our prayers, He hears our prayers, sees our heart's longings, but He wants to see we trust Him in the waiting. He wants us to see all we need is Him. When we hope for an answer, for some it may be a sad moment when we see a negative sign on the stick, for some it might be month after month of disappointment; sometimes we wait for an answer and long for it, but in that season of waiting God just wants us to lay a foundation of prayer before He shows us the answer. We learn in that time of waiting how our children truly are a gift from God and without the waiting we would never recognize God's hand in every birth. 

One of my favorite authors Jean Fleming, says, "Unless a sense of wonder accompanies parenthood, we may either take our responsibility too lightly or cling to our children too tightly." Without the waiting we would never have a sense of wonder when our prayers are answered.

Sometimes we just wait.

Some of us wait longer than others. 

And waiting can just plain suck.

But we have to remember the second part of the verse that a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

We may have to wait and hope but the second part says the dream will be fulfilled, and when that day arrives, we have a responsibility as mothers to train our children in the

ways of the Lord.

We must have a sense of wonder when we are

blessed with a child.

For my friend, she will be raising a daughter and I shared with her 4 words to help her embrace her responsibility as a mom, and now I share them with you.

PINK. PRETTY. PURE. PRICELESS.

Pink. Teach her to stand out and be different, to be a bright light for Christ to everyone in her life. Song of Solomon 2:16,

Luke 8:16

Pretty. Teach her to love herself, to believe she is beautiful inside and out, and to strive for an unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.

Proverbs 31:30, Psalm 45:10-11, 1 Peter 3:4

Pure. Teach her to respect herself and respect God's commands, to strive for purity in a crooked and depraved world.

Psalm 119:9, Philippians 2:15, Ecclesiastes 12:12-14

Priceless. Teach her nothing is more valuable or more beautiful than her love for Jesus.

1 John 4:8, 2 Thessalonians 4:5

What an honor to be a mother and a responsibility to raise a little girl in this generation.
We lay a foundation of prayer in the waiting and have a sense of wonder when the prayer is answered.