I'm pretty sure Tom Petty wasn't thinking about adoption when he sang those lyrics, but it's been our theme song lately. All our paperwork has arrived in Addis, and now we wait. What are we waiting for? Our first court date to Ethiopia. We are required to make two trips. The first trip will be our court date, and we will spend about 5 days there in Ethiopia. We will get to spend time with our sweet boy during this time period. This is termed the "Meetcha Day." I cannot even begin to imagine what it will be like to see our son for the first time face to face, cheek to cheek, and to hold him in my arms. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it. Ethiopian courts shut down every year for the "rainy season." Not sure I understand all the details behind that, but.....think congress in December? :/ So, if we get processed BEFORE they shut down, we hope our first court date will be October. Otherwise, it could be later. One thing I have learned through this process. It's perfectly okay to hope for certain things and certain timing, but I have seen God's sweet and sovereign hand so much, that I resolve to trust His timing is so much better than mine. He's not just got our best interest in mind, but Levi's and so many others'....ones we may not even yet know about. We truly want the LORD to be glorified and magnified in this. It is nothing about us, and ALL about HIM! We just want to be obedient through every step. We've already met some amazing friends through this experience. Some who have already gone, and some who are waiting to go and get their children. Each one has brought us encouragement, insight, and help along the way. We don't want to miss any Divine encounters because of our impatience. It's a beautiful thing to trust the One Who created the plan. So, we will wait and pray for our precious son every day that he must wait, too.
The most common word for "wait" used in the Old Testament is "qavah." It means "to bind together, perhaps by twisting strands as in making a rope, to look patiently, to tarry, to hope, to look and expect eagerly." We truly feel that God has woven Levi into our family since the beginning of time. Now we eagerly await his physical joining of the McKenzie family.
"You take it on faith, you take it to the heart. Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part." Tom Petty probably didn't have this type of waiting in mind in this line either, but this is how we deal with our wait. We wait in faith. Our Heavenly Father is not limited by time. His Sovereignty is ruled by His love. We trust Him.
"As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass- he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known. But from eternity to eternity the LORD's faithful love is towards those who fear Him and His righteousness towards the grandchildren, of those who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His instructions. The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all." Psalm 103:13-19 (HCSB)
"Wait for the LORD, be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14 (HCSB)
