Midweek check in! Week is going well. Luckily this cycle I am not struggling with some of the “annoying” side effects of last time. I am not nauseous, haven’t thrown up, and don’t have a constant headache. YEAH! I like to think of that as answers to prayers. However, I am dealing with HOT FLASHES and thought I was going to faint at work the other day. That was fun. But other than that, the only other, and biggest, side effect is ultimate exhaustion. I think there is exhaustion and then there is this. Whoa, it just drains me. But the great news is that tonight is my last night of these meds and then I get a break for a week …. Yippee! Be praying for follie development over the next few days – we will find out next week if this cycle is working.

I listened to a great sermon by Pastor Steven Furtick on Monday that gave three frames of reference to show us what God is doing while we are waiting on Him. They were so good that I wanted to share (thanks to http://www.stevenfurtick.com for this summary!):

1)    God’s transportation system operates through hubs and spokes. He used a running analogy of an airport to describe what God is doing while we are waiting on Him. The airline industry is set up using a “Hub and Spoke” model. That is, if you are traveling somewhere that does not offer a direct flight, you will need to fly to a “hub” airport and use a connecting flight to finally get to your destination. You may have experienced something similar in your own life. God will often take you somewhere that feels like it’s opposite to where you are going. As Pastor Steven said, “Often you have to go through (the process) to get to (the place) because there’s something God wants to do in you first.”

2)    God doesn’t put you in a holding pattern to punish you, but to protect you. When you’re stuck in the process between the potential and the perfection, you can find yourself caught in another level of frustration. Habakkuk 2 says that God will certainly not delay. Yet sometimes, you can find yourself in God’s holding patterns, where the destination is in sight, but God is taking you the long way around instead of landing you when you would like. As Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3, God is never slow to respond to us. Although it may seem like it, He is never putting us in a holding pattern to punish us, but rather to protect us. God’s delays are not denials. Continuing with the flight analogy, God cannot land you at your destinations until He determines you are ready. He has the vantage point to determine whether or not the conditions are clear enough to land. Pastor Steven challenged us to believe that it’s better to be late for the destination He has for us than to not arrive at all, or to not be ready when we get there. God is simply making sure that we are prepared to maximize what He has prepared for us at our destination!

3)    Trusting in God means crossing over the supernatural date line. When you find yourself doing all that you can do, praying all that you can pray, but you are still waiting on God, it’s easy to ask, “O Lord, are you not from everlasting (Habakkuk 1:12)?” In fact, God is everlasting. He exists outside of our understanding of time. 2 Peter 3:8 even says that a single day for us is likened to one thousand years for God and one thousand years for us is likened to a single day for God. Pastor Steven used an illustration of his recent trip to Australia, where he crossed over the “International Date Line.” Since Australia is 14 hours ahead of our time zone, Pastor Steven explained to his son, Elijah, that it was tomorrow in Australia and Elijah asked, “Daddy, can you tell us what happens tomorrow?” Since God exists in eternity, Pastor Steven suggested that our prayers cause us to cross over a “supernatural date line.” We often worry because we simply do not see how God is going to bring about what we believe He has prepared for us. However, Romans 4:17 states that God “gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they are.” You may have questions about how God is going to orchestrate your circumstances to fulfill His promises for your tomorrow. But through His word and the power of His Spirit, He will carry you through to tomorrow!

I just loved this message and again, it amazes me how when I need to hear it, God cues up these sermons and readings right on time. So as we continue to wait for our Thing, and you for yours, I pray that you continue to trust God. It’s not easy. Some days I just feel really defeated. The zip is taken out of my step. I am snappy and frustrated and feel like there is no end in sight. But I trust God’s promises to be true and He will come through. What the final outcome is, we don’t know. But I do know that regardless of what it is, that God will continue to be there for us and that’s all we need.

For those of you who are joining in this journey and getting to know me better, here are 5 random things about me:

1. I am addicted to pens (G-2 0.38) and notecards.

2. My puppy Cali (not really a puppy since she is 6 years old) is my “child” and I am slightly obsessed.

3. I will always choose salty over sweet, unless pancakes are involved. Then it depends on the day.

4. I need at least 6 pillows to have a good nights sleep and my own blanket.

5. I collect Starbucks City Mugs and Baby-Sitters Club books.