I've been in the blogosphere long enough now that I thought it necessary to explain my chosen name. It's actually a play on words: Waiting Race or wait-in-grace, both of which are meaningful to me.
I decided to follow Jesus in the summer of '99, and every fall since then, something life-changing has happened. {I've listed those events at the bottom of this post because it's good to remember and great to share} I'm going to expound on the events of 2002 because that is when I feel like this "waiting race", this call in my Christian life to wait-in-grace, really began.
In June of '02, my husband and I experienced a painful decision in our church family. We were confused, hurt, disappointed, discouraged, and felt very alone. Michael escaped for a bit by visiting his father in CA over Fathers' Day, and while he was gone, the Holy Spirit led me to the lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah:
This I recall to my mind,therefore I have hope.
The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the LORD.
Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That both good and ill go forth?
This truth rocked my world. God knew what he was doing, and he wanted me to wait in hope for his goodness.
That summer, we were able to wait, still in pain, in Norway. Then in September, Michael went to visit his best friend in Alaska for 3 days. But he got stuck. He literally could not get home for 2 weeks. God reminded me that I was still waiting (for what? I kept asking). When MIchael finally returned, he lost his job. Then we were let go from our caretaking position (which had given us free rent). We had to move. A week after we moved, my dad suddenly died. All this time, God kept whispering, "wait".
In January 2003, I spent a week teaching an inductive study on the gospel account of Mark. When I returned to work, I clearly and distinctly felt God telling me to quit my job. My stomach dropped. Michael was in seminary, and my income was our only financial source. I waited for over a week before I told Michael. We agreed to pray about it, and in March, we both felt confirmed that I was indeed to leave full-time work (in August) to take an unpaid internship at our church (yes, the one that had hurt us just 10 months prior) that fall.
That internship was the most exciting year of our marriage thus far. And the ride hasn't stopped. Every spring, I find myself beginning to wonder and to anxiously await what surprise God is going to bring in the fall. I have learned to wait in grace, to wait in hope, to wait in faith, to eagerly expect good things from an amazing God. Ultimately, I am waiting for heaven to come to earth but until then, the LORD is my portion.
Autumn Surprises from Jesus
1999 - I meet him!
2000 - marriage (Sept 22)
2001 - Michael starts seminary
2002 - my dad dies
2003 - I leave the corporate world, we live in faith as I enjoy an internship at Hope Community Church
2004 - I come on staff at Hope; we prayer walk in France with Chris & Aletha
2005 - we buy a house
2006 - we start Hiawatha Church with Chris & Aletha
2007 - I leave 'formal' ministry, spend a month training with PUSH Physical Theatre in upstate NY, and begin acting in Mpls
2008 - I give birth to Maren
2009 - ???
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