Patiently Waiting

This Sunday marked the beginning of our 39th week of pregnancy, and we both feel like we're quite ready to meet sweet EJ! So far, the past 2 weeks have been the hardest pregnancy weeks for me (Granted, I have also had a very easy pregnancy, so that's not saying much on the hardness-scale.) due to contractions, muscle pains, and other aches associated with my body preparing for EJ's appearance. In fact, for the past week I've had the mindset that labor was directly upon me. In fact, every night last week from Sat-Wed, I really did expect to go into labor during the night because of the way my body felt and because of all the storm action (there were so many good, baby-pushing storms, that I just knew my body wouldn't hold out). Haha!

By the time last Wednesday rolled around, I just knew we were gonna have EJ because the last of the big storms was pushing through that night (and because I was SOO READY). So I worked hard around the house all day, made a huge dinner, cleaned the kitchen, and then did aquaerobics that evening. While in the pool, I started having some semi-painful contractions, so I thought I'd better get home and inform my sweet husband that EJ was coming. Well, let's just say that I had 6-8 hours of "false" labor because the contractions never got stronger (although they were 40-60 seconds long and 3-5 minutes apart). So, by Thursday morning, EJ was still inside my uterus, contractions had stopped, and I was quite disillusioned about everything. :(

It took me quite a few days to really be okay with patiently waiting on the Lord's timing. I had been preparing MY house and MY nursery and MY mind and MY world.. MY everything, that I had not even considered how having this baby would affect other people as well. Through a few divine appointments, we were able to help out two friends in need last week in ways that we would not have been able to if EJ had come earlier in the week. This made me realize, that God's timing is not completely tied up with just me, and I was thankful that He had waited to bring EJ. I also realized that having EJ would greatly affect the lives of other people like my mom (who plans to stay with us a while after EJ is born), our midwife and doulas, people that Hugh works with, etc. All of these people and their own little worlds will be at the least slightly impacted by our sweet baby's birth.

I finally realized how selfish I was being in expecting EJ to come just as soon as I was ready. I'm so thankful that the Lord revealed my sinful heart to me and has called me to trust in and wait for His perfect timing with complete patience. Here are a few verses that have counseled my heart in turning away from my selfish expectations.

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55: 6-9

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139: 13-16

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galations 5:22-23