We began this adoption process over 2 1/2 years ago. We have been on the waiting list for 2 years.
I hate waiting - nobody likes it, I guess. I've always been bad at it. Even the smallest waits are unsettling.
I was reminded yesterday of the hope in a tulip bulb.
A bulb = a small ball of possibility; a piece of the future; a promise.
We have one job when it comes to bulbs - the prep. We dig a hole and set it in.
We feel so involved in the beginning. We gently, excitedly prepare the delicate little package. We create the bed. Cover it for a long sleep and begin the wait.
It's a strange task really, but we are motivated by the thought of what will spring forth.
Then, we wait.
I can't prod it.
I can't dig it a little closer to the surface.
I can't even see it.
I just wait.
All the work happens under the dirt. All the rooting and sprouting.
All the work is His, the Giver of all life.
He holds it. He nurtures it.
When no one sees.
We wait. We hope.
We hold on to the promise.
Then, at the appointed time, the perfect season...
The ground breaks.
There's a glimpse of green.
Every promise suddenly comes into view, and life appears from the dust.
Then, I can join the Father in nurture, in care, in protection of the beauty He brought to my life.
I wait today.
I wait with hope.
I don't wait on the Ethiopian government.
I don't merely wait on a list.
I wait on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)
He renews my strength.
He fulfills His promises.
He is the Rescuer.
He gives life.
This wait is only a hint of the great wait, the real anticipation of all life. All creation waits for the fulfillment of what God began. We all long for REAL LOVE to win. REAL LOVE to return.
We wait on our Lord and Redeemer. We all long to be rescued.*
One day.
It is the hope of all hopes. It is promised, and He will come.
And we know it's True...
First - because He said.
And second - because of these small promises. These small waits. They are proof.
The bulb - though hidden, dormant, and invisible - arises as promised.
No matter how dark the days; no matter how cold the winter;
Love wins, and Hope prevails.
So even in this small wait,
Even though so many precious blooms are waiting for their moment of Spring,
I will wait as long as it takes to behold my beautiful flower.
There is hope, just beneath the surface.
*Romans 8:18-27
