When I found out I was pregnant again, I bought a pregnancy devotional called Waiting in Wonder by Catherine Claire Larson. I have loved it from the first day I started reading it. It gives a little devotional then has two questions or prompts for you to write in, which I think will be awesome to give to the baby once she’s a bit older. Today’s devotion is titled “Patient Partners, Patient Parents”. It talks about the importance of being patient with your spouse and well as your children, especially during their child-rearing years. The best example we can be for our children is the example they see in our marriage. I love my husband. He is my best friend and the one person I can honestly tell everything to. However, there are days I want to REMIND HIM FOR THE THOUSANDTH TIME to put up the clothes that I have folded and have been sitting on the couch for 3 days. Or to remind him that our yard needs mowing.  But, that’s marriage. It’s not perfect and never will be. But then again, I’m not perfect. I make mistakes, sometimes the same ones over and over again, but God forgives me. He is patient with me and shows me grace on a daily basis which is exactly what I should be doing with my husband and my almost four year old.

Today’s prompt at the end of the devotional made me tear up a little. Not tears of sadness, but of understanding and thankfulness. It states:

“Patience is really about waiting on God’s timing to bring change and trusting Him in the time of waiting. Think about a time when you’ve had to be patient. What kind of character-building work did God do in you or in others through that time of waiting?”

As I read this, I immediately thought about the two years I waited, longing for this pregnancy.  A year of multiple miscarriages and a year of fertility issues.  During that time I was sad, broken, and confused.  Looking back on it now, I can smile.  Because it was during that difficult time in my life that I began building a personal relationship with God.  It is during that time when I became the person he knew I could be.  Strong.  Faithful.  Confident.  There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t feel his presence.  After every miscarriage, he was there.  I may have felt alone at times, but I know I never was.  He carried me through every tear I shed.  He made me the person I am today.  So I am thankful for those two years.  I am thankful for the wait.  I am thankful he taught me patience and that I was able to trust in his perfect timing for my life.   If you are in your season of waiting, trust that he has a plan for you.  Know that he is building your character.  Know that there is a reason that you can’t see right now.  Have faith in God and his perfect timing for you.  Keep praying and keep trusting.