Waiting.

"As hard as it is, waiting is an essential part of orphan care. When you wait, you are visiting the orphan in her distress. Part of her distress is bureaucracy and red-tape and diplomatic turf-wars. Part of her distress is brain chemistry and PTSD and culture shock. 

When you wait, you tell her, "I'm with you no matter what happens. I'm going to interrupt my middle-class life and set aside my first-world standards because you're worth more than me. I'm going to endure all the regulations and waiting periods. I'll face the injustices of prejudice and bribery. I'll do whatever it takes. I'm going to sit here with you till we're done. We may be oceans apart, but I'm with you. I'll cry with you. I'll be angry with you. I'll pray with you. I'll join you in the mess until God rescues you from it. I'll never leave. I'll always be here. I love you." 

But why wait? Wouldn't it be better if God made the whole process a lot quicker? Why does it take so long? He's in control. He hears our prayers. Why am I still waiting? 

There are thousands of answers to those questions. Most are beyond our comprehension, hidden in the Providence of God. But in Scripture, God does give a few answers for us to hold onto. Here's just one. 

When we wait for orphans, we enter into their distress just like Christ entered into ours. Jesus, the Ultimate Superman, did not swoop in from heaven to rescue us. Our salvation wasn't neat and tidy like that. Instead, Jesus was born a baby in a dirty manger. He lived the life of a poor bastard child. He overcame those circumstances to become the greatest Man who ever lived, only to die in complete disgrace. He worked and waited thirty years with much suffering to accomplish our salvation. 

 He was made like us in every way, including in our weakness. Even now, after our adoption has been "finalized," Jesus Christ remains with us. Having us made us new, he waits for us to be made whole. Indeed, He is forever with us. He'll never set aside his flesh. He is forever Emmanuel -- God With Us. 

The greatest need for your orphaned child, and every child, is to know Jesus. And not just the pretty storybook Jesus, but the Jesus who left the riches of heaven to join them in their hurt and shame. More than food and shelter. More than hugs and kisses. They need to hear, understand, and believe God's love for them -- expressed most perfectly in the coming and dying of Christ on their behalf. 

In God's universe, waiting is not wasted time. By all means, don't stop praying for the details! Do everything your agency tells you to do! Join your child's longing to be rescued! But don't begrudge the waiting. Waiting is not nothing. In a tangible way, you are already parenting your child. Through you, he is beginning to see the God Who Waits."

For the full post by Dave Ainsworth, CLICK HERE.