There Are Times We Sit and Wait

Sadie Brie is back in Illinois with my hubby, along with Tigger the cat. Thankfully our next door neighbor is available to let Sadie out every afternoon, feed both pets dinner if Mike is staying late for work, and babysit them when he travels.

I used to catch Sadie looking out the window, waiting. Since we don’t have a patio door in the house she would longingly gaze outside, almost willing me to take her for a walk. Now I bet she looks out the window waiting for one of her “people” to come give her attention or feed her.

I can only imagine how deserted she feels. “Where is my Mom?” she must wonder. It’s confusing for her when she hears my voice as Mike and I Skype. She runs around the room looking for me and she sort of looks at the computer screen.

Currently I’m taking care of two dogs for the family I’m living with while they are on the East Coast for two weeks. These two dogs have been through a lot. They were flown to Tokyo in December when the family was stationed at a Navy base near there. They have lived through the big earthquake and serious aftershocks. They have spent another day on a plane flying back to L.A. then on to Seattle when their “people” needed to evacuate the country of Japan due to the nuclear crisis.

What must Kadie & JC the dogs be thinking? They're getting used to my voice and our routine. They both snuck in my room last night to sleep so I guess they're getting adjusted to being back in the States and have begun bonding with me. I hope my puppy is bonding with Jim the neighbor.

Waiting and wondering is hard. I was waiting to hear news from my daughter last night. She was with friends trying to locate a missing high school boy. His parents were very concerned because they have lost two sons to suicide. The police had been notified and were also out looking. All I could do while I waited for my daughter to call was pray. As I prayed with one of my prayer partners and we lifted up the situation to our all-knowing, mighty God, call-waiting interrupted.

It was not what I had prayed for. The student had apparently followed in his older brothers' footsteps and taken his life. What do I say to my child? How do I comfort her and how does anyone make sense of such a senseless tragedy?

If only this boy had taken his situation straight to God… and listened for his Master’s voice.

“That you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.” Deuteronomy 30:20

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40

My waiting last night continued as my little girl stayed out with other students trying to cope with what had happened. Everyone in our community is grappling with the news. (The word gets around quickly in our town, and Facebook sends the news even faster.)

In our fast-paced world full of pressures, there is so much for teenagers to have to deal with. I wish high school students could have the attitudes of puppies; clueless about time, worrying only about when the next yummy meal or playtime will be. If only they could grasp that they are LOVED, life is precious, and sometimes we just have to wait, even when it's HARD, knowing we’ll get our answers in God’s timing.

“But if we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.” Romans 8:24-25

Lord have Mercy…

My heart is broken for the boy’s parents and other siblings.
Please join me in lifting up the boy’s family, our high school and community in prayer.

In His Grip, Jane