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FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22
"How has God transformed you or others while you wait?" by Katherine Lambert, member of St. Paul's, Mobile
My husband, Dwight and I had not been married very long when we found out I could not have children. Dwight’s response was “well that just means that God has children out there that need us.” And he was right. We applied to be foster parents, noting we could care for one child and preferred a boy because Dwight already had two daughters. Then we waited. That was anxious waiting, but it was exciting. I wondered what it would be like to be a mom and have a little child running around. We didn’t have to wait as long as we thought we would. DHR called us in two weeks! They asked us if we were willing to take two children instead of one. The children were siblings they didn’t want to separate. So, once again God had other plans for us. We welcomed a precious little boy and girl into our home. We loved them and raised them. We prayed that one day we would be able to adopt them. That was a long time of waiting in the unknown. Dwight and I decided that we would pray that we would give them enough love in the time that they are with us so that they would never wonder if they were fully loved. Our families worried about how hard it would be if we were not able to adopt them, but Dwight and I had faith that God had a plan for all of us. During that time, God grew in Dwight and me. We found more and more love to give to each other and to these two miracles who were placed in our care. We had to wait almost two years before we knew if we could legally adopt the children. We continued our journey of loving and parenting, and actually 11 years ago, almost to the day I write this, we signed our papers of consent to adopt. I thank God every day for every time God made me wait when I felt impatient and anxious. Our family of four was worth the wait.
Reading for this week: Matthew 1: 18-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Collect for this week:
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Join us this Advent as we explore what it’s like to wait! We are offering a collection of daily questions and reflections inviting us to consider what we experience and learn in our waiting, and how we find God - and God finds us - in our waiting.
Each Sunday a brief video will be shared on Facebook and Instagram to introduce us to a focus and reflection for the week. Each day a question will be posted for us to ponder. You are invited to share your own reflections by replying to these posts or reposting on your personal social media. Please follow and use #diocgcwaits. Be sure to follow our diocesan social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram; search: DioCGC.